Broken
by alygdgrl
Summary: After living a life of perfection, one sad and mournful day Hermione loses her parents, and with them part of herself. On her road to salvation she discovers many things about herself, and the truth behind the lives of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini.
1. Chapter One:Discoveries!

Broken!

Chapter One: The Pain Of Life!

Somewhere between being perfect, being strong and intelligent for the ones' she loved, and still trying to live a normal life Hermione Granger had began losing something...herself. Everything that she had known suddenly began to be questioned in her mind. She called it part of going through teenage drama, but deep down she knew there was something more...something wrong.

Life had always come easy for her. She had a great family who loved her, cherished friends, and academic scores that rivaled that of the founder of Ravenclaw. Yes, she had everything anyone could ever want to be happy. Yet, as the days turned into months, and the months progressed into a complete year, suddenly Hermione found herself feeling desolate, desperate for help.

She had always known that pride was a flaw of men, something that shouldn't ever matter, but had the power to cotrol and manipulate whom it belonged to. Now, she knew exactly that her contemplations had been in no err. Pride, _her_ pride, wouldn't allow her to run to her friends and reach out for the help she so needed. With every passing day part of her vibrant personality died. She died.

Her fiery temper seemed, to the Hogwarts' population, to be tamed, as she wouldn't even look twice when some idiotic Slytherin lashed out at her. Sometimes she scared herself when she found herself smirking in the face of her torturer. She still did everything that she had done before. Her parents still saw her as their perfect little girl, her friends didn't detect a change in her, and if possible, her grades only increased with her unsuferable frustration at not knowing what was wrong with her. Suddenly it seemed the girl who had all the answers was the one asking the questions.

No one detected anything wrong with her, but if they looked close enough they would notice that the fire that had always burned in her brown, intense eyes had died out, leaving only a flicker behind. Her smile was only a facade that never seemed to reach her eyes, and her laugh was empty. All the things that interested her before would only be overlooked every time anyone mentioned them.

She was Head Girl, the title suited her, or so everyone believed. Oh, she desperately wanted to believe it, but she knew she could not. She started to become angry at those who couldn't, or wouldn't, see the change in her. She was so intent on that matter that she didn't notice the shadows of two people who noticed every single change in her. Every fake laugh, every frustrated look, everything that had never been there before.

These two personas were two boys, men, who knew each other so well that they called each other best friends, yet at times detested the fact that they were so different, and yet so alike. Slytherins weren't known for their friendlyness, but they were loyal. That's how they met. In their first year when some Gryffindors tried to taunt a scared little Slytherin boy, another one with an icy cold glare, and platinum blonde hair reinforced the boy with black locks, and brown eyes. Their power was seen a mile away, they radiated it, but at such time, seemed to only notice it when put together. That's how Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini joined and later became the most feared duo Hogwarts had ever known, the Slytherin Princes'.

They weren't evil, but knew their status, and were extremely observant. When the Fifth year ended, and the Sixth began, they noticed how Hermione Granger, famous know-it-all had changed drastically. Both knew enough about the brave Gryffindor to admire her, ever respect her. That's why they were both immensly intrigued when they saw that at last Hermione Granger began to cave in to the pressure that was her life.

They had watched her from afar, neither messing with her, only observing. She was their guinea pig for their Sixth year, and they were enjoying the testing of their hypothesis. It had been such night when they waited for her to come out of Dumbledore's office, after being called from the Great Hall. They had both silently crept unnoticed from their table and made it to the dark corner that hid them. Both were like brothers, close enough to know what the other was thinking. Their thoughts had been of pure shock though, something that barely happened, when they saw a wild Hermione Granger exit the Phoenix stairs with Dumbledore trying to reach her with no such luck.

Tears were streaming down her face, she was choking with sobs, and her body was shaking uncontrollably. She walked the desolate halls for the first time grimly understanding why she had changed so drastically. She had known something was going to happen, she had known. She replayed everything that Dumbledore had just told her, her body heavy with immense pain, guilt, and above all, a feeling of utter loneliness that filled her heart and added to her mourning.

Hermione entered Dumbledore's office, her hands twisted into knots with anxiety. She knew whatever Dumbledore had to say wasn't going to be pleasant, the lack of twinkle in his eyes told her that. She stood in a nervous heap infront of his desk and let out a nervous laugh.

"So, Professor, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked running a hand through her mangled mane of hair.

"Hermione, please sit down," he said somberly.

Hermione looked at him and hesitantly walked and sat on a chair infront of his desk. She looked at the Phoenix that stood on Dumbledore's desk and pet him. She slowly turned her attention to Dumbledore and stared unwaveringly.

"Hermione, my dear child, I have some terrible news for you," he said, his voice shaking slightly.

A shadow cast over Hermione's face as she asked, "Professor, what's wrong?"

"Hermione, I want you to understand that there wouldnt've been anything you could've done to change the tragic event that has occured. You must not blame yourself for anything."

Hermione looked at him and shook her head, "Professor, please, can you just cut the chase and tell me what happened?"

"Hermione, your parents, they have been murdered. I got there a second too late. Voldemort sent Deatheaters to kill them. He wants to weaken you, all of us. I tried to revive them, but my dear girl, I couldn't do anything." His voice quivered with the immense emotion that he felt. He looked at Hermione, but found he couldn't look at her crestfallen face.

Hermione stared forward, eyes filled with instantanous tears. "Professor, please tell me you're joking. Please tell me this is one stupid, crude joke you're pulling on me. Please," she said, tears falling from her eyes.

"Hermione, I wish I could, but.."

"NOO, YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT. YOU CAN'T TELL ME MY PARENTS ARE DEAD! HOW DARE YOU? WHY? WHY COULDN'T YOU'VE DONE ANYTHING. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE MOST POWERFUL WIZARD IN THE WORLD, WHY?" By this time she was clutching his robes shaking him, though he barely moved underneath her shaking hands.

"Hermione, I am so sorry. You have no idea how much, how bad I feel. I'm tyring to have empathy and try to imagine how you're feeling, but I know I can't. I'm so sorry." he said a trail of tears falling from his sad eyes.

She stood and walked out of his office. She didn't run, she just calmly walked down the stairs and out, Dumbledore trying to reach her. She walked out of the office, trying to understand what had just happened. Trying hard to tell herself all that he had said were lies. Deep down, though, she knew they weren't.

Both watched as she reached the end of the hallway and fell onto her knees, probably tearing the skin, staring at the moon. Her face was illuminated as her body shook in uncontrollable sobs that came coming unwaveringly. She clutched her shoulders and rocked back and forth, her pain peak high, after she accepted everything that had been her life didn't exist anymore.

Blaise and Draco stared at each other, neither knowing why Hermione Granger was reacting this way to whatever Dumbledore had said, but knowing they had to do something. A look of undertanding passed between them as both took determined strides towards the lunar illuminated heap of a girl that was choking with sobs.

They suddenly undertood the enigma they had been trying to solve for months, at least partly. Hermione Granger was like them in a way no one knew. Blaise and Draco were broken, both needing strength everyday to keep moving forward every day of their lives. Blaise had a mother that didn't care for him and had left him to the servants to be raised while she married over four times with men that were of no worth. Some of them had beaten him, because they were psycopathic lunatics that had something that his mother looked at as romantic, they essence of violance.

For Draco, it was the fact that his father didn't care for him in the least. He knew his father loved him, but didn't care what happened to him...ever. Lucius Malfoy had the help of fellow Deatheaters in the bringing up of his son. They had tortured him physically, making him undergo thousands of pain filled spells that he at times feared would kill him. His mother had no back bone, and drank her life away trying to tell herself she was a good mother. Ignoring the fact that her son was basically being killed time and time again in the adjoining room.

Slytherins are thought to have no soul. Maybe it was true, but for them, they had had one once. They still did, but it had been bruised, chipped, hurt, and ultimately broken so many times that they needed each other to remind themselves they still had one. Most teenagers got their egos bruised, they had their mind broken. Not even Harry Potter had undergone anything like what of them had had to deal with every single day of their lives. They were kindred souls, and now they had found another one of them that was exactly like they were.

While most people their age cared about make-up, clothes, and dating the cutest boys or girls, they questioned why it was that so many people cared so much about petty things that didn't matter. They were not like them, they were special. They actually had the ability to think, because pain and hurt had given them that power. The power that they needed to survive.

Both tentavely reached out a hand and placed it on either side of her shoulder. She looked up at them startled and jumped back. She was in pain, and was enraged that they chose that particular time to come and taunt her for her many flaws. She was not in the mood for it.

"What? Come to taunt me to see how far you can drive me until I sucumb under you feet? Never thought you would show that much cowardice!" She said, her eyes wild with the many emotions that filled her heart.

"No, we came to talk," Blaise said.

She looked at him and laughed a bitter, cold, and empty laugh that made them shiver. "What, the Slytherin Princes' have a conscious? Please, don't make me laugh."

Draco reached a hand to her and held her shoulders firmly as she started trying to untangle herself from him. "Stop, okay? We know what you're going through. We know the pain you're feeling, we know how much it hurts. We know all of it." He said, meaning every word he spoke.

"What, you know what it's like to have your parents murdered knowing you could've, _should've_, done something? You don't know shit of how I feel, so don't even try to pretend you do," she lashed out.

"Hermione, look into my eyes. Tell me that I'm lying. Just look." Draco said passionately.

Hermione looked at his eyes and saw nothing but honesty. She couldn't take it anymore and broke down into countless choked sobs filled with grief. She felt her knees give out, and felt herself land on Draco's lap. She felt two pairs of comforting hands touch her. She felt the honest, but frustrated help they were trying to provide. Her sense had gone haywire. In the morning she would kick herself for acting this way infront of these to characters. For now, she didn't have the strenght. She let herself be held. Later she felt herself being carried off in a pair of strong arms as the Great Hall opened and released Hogwarts countless students.

She absently heard the Head Boy and Girl dormitory being opened. She absently felt herself being placed infront of the fire on a rug. She did feel, though, the two pairs of hands that ran their fingerst through her hair. She did hear as both Slytherin men started humming in unision a mournful tune that fit exactly how she felt. Finally, she felt herself drifting into the darkness that she hoped consumed her for a life time and never let her go.

* * *

Hello, this is my new story. I have another story currently going on and it's entitled "Never Thought This Would Happen." I did have another one, but it violated some rules that I was not aware of and was deleted by I sincerely hope you guys like this. I decided to write it because at times I have felt alone, scared, and plain...broken. It's something that many of us go through, or at least I hope. I'm just a normal teenager who just wants some of her ideas heard. PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! My continuing of this story depends on them.

Love,

Aly!


	2. Chapter Two:Conversations!

Broken!

Chapter Two:Conversations!

_Recap: _Finally, she felt herself drifting into the darkness that she hoped consumed her for a life time and never let her go.

When the body goes to sleep all of your body shuts down and repairs, but never the brain. The brain is the on thing in your body that will never stop working, or so scientists believe. That night, though, Hermione Granger's mind shut off, just like the rest of her body. That night it didn't work, it didn't go through the process of riding some of the information from the previous day, no, nothing was to be forgotten. If something, though, her body got rest, the rest that she not only yearned for her body, but for her mind. Eternal rest!

God is only merciful for so long, and he only allowes you enough time to get yourself back into gear, then, he lets go and leaves you on your own. Those words had never been proved more right then as Hermione woke, opening her grogy, red eyes. She sat up, putting her arms down to support herself, and looked at the two figures that layed in either side of her. Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini had slept next to a Mudblood, who would have ever thought?

Many say that the ability to maintain enormous amounts of previous information in your mind is a gift, but to Hermione, at that hour, it felt like a curse. She remembered everything that had happened the day before, remembered the anger, the hurt, the _pain._ She, above all else, remembered that it was these two that saw her in her most terrible state of weakness, not her precious friends, but the two people that she loved to hate. It really hit home that it was _them,_ not her _friends_, not Harry or Ron, but Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini that had helped her. That had reached out to her, that had comforted her.

None of that seemed to matter, though, not any more. She looked at the world with hollow eyes, and as she stood silently and crept towards the bathroom, her body became a shell. Something that could neither care or feel. She reached the door and opened it. She didn't notice anything about the room, she just walked towards the tub and filled it with sizzling hot water.

She felt dirty. She needed to get rid of everything that covered her, the smell...herself. She stripped and stepped into the water. She didn't notice the red coloring tha came to her skin as it was singed by the heat of the water. She sat at the bottom and than layed down. She closed her eyes, letting herself drift away. Her lungs were tightening with the need of oxygen, and finally when she felt that she could stand it no longer, she sat upright and began scrubbing her body roughly.

Memories of what had happened the previous day kept running through her mind, and with every remembrance she scrubbed harder and faster, desperate to be clean. She did it once, but it didn't feel clean yet, so she kept on scrubbing. It went on forever, until her salty and angry tears hit her skin and made it sting. Then she stopped. Just like that she just sat there and cried, allowing herself to feel the pain that she needed to feel.

She sat like this when the door to the bathroom was opened. She vaguely looked in the direction of the door where two tall figures stood. She stood and stepped out of the tub, not paying attention to her naked and dripping body. She knew they weren't watching it, they were watching her. Their eyes never left hers as she came and stood infront of them. Their eyes never averted even when her rough words stung their souls.

"What, come to enjoy the show! I would've thought yesterday was enough!" she spat in their faces.

Blaise walked to a corner and picked up a towel. He carried it outstreched, and when he reached Hermione, he covered her naked body with it. He held it in place as her arms were on either side of her body, and looked into her eyes, "You know that's not true."

"Why the hell are you doing this to me? I just want to be left alone," she screamed as she roughly pushed him away.

Blaise took a step back and looked at Draco with pain filled eyes. Draco looked back at him and then monotonously said to Hermione, "You need us. We just want to help."

Hermione looked from one face to the other and backed away slowly. "I don't need you. I don't need anyone! Why can't you understand that," she retorted.

"Hermione, we know how you feel," Blaise said looking down.

Hermione looked at them outraged, and suddenly yelled, fury creased in her voice, "Yeah! You think you know how I feel? Then tell me, why is it that I can't feel anything? WHY!" she screamed desperately allowing her body to sink to the floor against the wall.

Her body shook as tears streamed down her face. She looked at her wrist through blurry eyes and saw that it was bleeding because it had beed scratched against the wall she sat against. She looked from her wrist to the two boys and said, "Why can't I feel _this_?" she asked, motioning her wrist.

Draco and Blaise simontaneously stepped towards her and sat on the ground in front of her. They looked at her shriveled figure, then Draco said, "You can't feel that because you don't want to. You just want to forget. _We_ want to forget, but you can't."

"I want to. I WANT to, but I DON'T want your pity!" she said.

"And we're not offering any. Why should we when no one showed us any? We just want to help, and to get help." Blaise said still looking at his hands.

"Why does there always have to be a catch? Why does Fate have to be such a bitch? I've never done anything wrong, never done anything to hurt anyone, yet I always get hurt." She hugged her knees and whispered almost anaudibly, "It's just not _fair._"

"It happens," Blaise said shrugging. "We didn't do anything either, but look how messed up we are," he said with a bitter smile on his face.

"It's my fault again. Why is it my fault?" she asked, shaking with disgust at herself.

"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT!" both yelled at the same time.

Draco grabbed her shoulders and said, "It's not your fault. Don't ever think it is. NO ONE can tell you it is, and YOU can never ever believe it is! Do you understand?" He asked desperately, knowing exactly what was going through her mind. How could he not know? It was exactly what had gone through his and Blaise's mind countless times before they finally understood that they had done nothing wrong.

"But it is. It's my fault again. I didn't mean...I couldn't do anything. I didn't want it to happen." she said looking at both of them.

"How can it be your fault again? What did you do?" Blaise asked, getting a sharp reproachful look from Draco. He realized his mistake and was about to apologize when Hermione answered.

"When I was about seven, I don't know, maybe eight, my mom told me that my dad's father had died and told me how my dad blamed everything on her because she was the last one to see him. I don't know why she would've told me that, I was SO young. Yet she did, and one night I heard them arguing and they mentioned me. How they couldn't keep fighting because of how I was around. It was all my fault, I know it," she said, guilt rushing through her entire being. She had never told anyone that, not even Harry and Ron.

"How could that have been your fault, Hermione? It wasn't, just like it wasn't my fault that my father was a man that allowed others to scar me. Just like it wasn't Blaise's fault that he was beaten by his mom's husbands. It wasn't our fault! None of it. Don't ever think it is." Draco said meaning every word. That iformation had never been shared to anyone except Blaise, but she needed to know. She needed to know because they needed her, just like she was going to need them.

Blaise stepped forward and lifted Hermione into his arms. He carried her to her room and set her down. "Your skin, it's red. Don't EVER do that again. DON'T EVER TRY TO HURT YOURSELF!" he said, sounding extremely angry, remembering the times when he had hurt _himself_ to try and punish what he thought he had done wrong.

Hermione looked down and said, "I didn't do it on purpose."

"Get dressed, we have to go to the Great Hall." Draco said coming in the room.

Hermione looked at them and nodded. She knew she had to go and face everyone, else they would get suspicious. She wouldn't tell anyone, no one needed to know. She would just deal with it on her own. She didn't need anyone. A few minutes later she came out of her room and found Blaise and Draco waiting for her.

"People will get suspicious if they see us together," she said.

"It's okay, we'll just walk in together. We're going to talk later." Blaise said.

All three grabbed their book bags and made their way towards the Great Hall. They entered it together, leaving peace and quiet behind, engulfed in the loud chatter of countless happy students that attended Hogwarts. Hermione grimaced at all the noise, she didn't need it, not now. She looked at the table where all of her professors sat and gave Dumbledore a look that told him if he made a move towards her all hell would break loose. Just as she expected, Dubledore gave in...for now.

She made her way towards the Gryffindor table, leaving behind the two Slytherins. She came and sat between Harry and Ron. Both looked at her, and Harry asked, "Why did you come in with those two gits?"

Hermione looked at him with a shocked face, seeing that he didn't notice the sadness in her eyes, but answered, "They just came in at the same time. Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No, I was just wondering. Anyway, why weren't you here yesterday for dinner?"

Hermione looked at him incredously and said, "Harry, Dumbledore called me. Don't you remember?"

Harry looked at her with disinterest at finding out why she hadn't been there and answered, "No, sorry."

"No problem," she said quietly looking down at her hands as she felt tears sting her eyes.

How could they not see how she felt? How could they not know something was wrong? Anger engulfed her as she remembered that the only two people that even noticed a change in her were Malfoy and Zabini. She had been friends with Ron and Harry for over five years, yet her worst enemies were the only ones that knew anything about her. Then again, she had always believed there was a thin line between love and hate. Always.

From across the hall two pairs of eyes watched her. Draco looked at Blaise and asked, "How can they not notice what state she's in?"

"Draco, they don't know her. They knew the child, but they don't know the woman."

"I'm afraid for her Zabini. I'm afraid she will do exactly what we both tried to do once," Draco said, fear evident in his eyes.

"Let's just hope she doesn't!" Blaise said firmly.

Both grabbed their bags and headed to Potions. They had every class with Hermione, and they intended to watch her closely. To them, she wasn't a Mudblood anymore, she was just like them. Just like them, she was afraid.

The day went on, no one noticing that Hermione didn't smile once throughout the day. No one, that is, but Draco and Blaise. During Transfiguration, this year taught in the highest tower in Hogwarts, they watched Hermione, not leaving her for a moment. Everything seemed fine, just like every other day, Hermione got everything done right first, just like every other day, she was the little know-it-all they all knew. The lesson continued uneventfully. Everyone finished soon and had time to talk. Harry and Ron carried a conversation of their own, excluding Hermione of it completely. She looked to the back of the room and saw them looking at her. At that exact moment she understood that they were the only ones that could understand her.

They saw her look away after a while and watched as she looked at the rest of the room. She scanned friendly girls giggling flirtatiously, and smired bitterly. She heard the joyful voices and laughs from her fellow students. Then her eyes came to rest on the balcony of the tower. Her eyes glinted dangerously, she looked behind her at Draco and Blaise. They looked at her and then the balcony. Suddenly they understood. Suddenly they were very afraid!

* * *

**Thank you all for the reviews. I was blown away by how much you guys liked it. I hope you all keep reading this, and I hope you all keep enjoying it. Thank you again and PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Love,**

**Aly.**

**P.S. REVIEW, PLEASE. PRETTY PLEASE. COME ON, YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO. PLEASE, LOL!**


	3. Chapter Three:Believe!

Broken!

Chapter Three:Belive!

_Recap:_Then her eyes came to rest on the balcony of the tower. Her eyes glinted dangerously, she looked behind her at Draco and Blaise. They looked at her and then the balcony. Suddenly they understood. Suddenly they were very afraid!

Psychiatrists like to sound refined and all-knowing when they tell you that when faced with great loss the human body takes everything in and sometimes breaks down, while the mind is responsible for dealing with the traumatize of the emotions faced and in charge of getting over the faced situation. What they always fail to acknowledge is that psychiatrists are just as messed up as their patients and like to talk about things that make them feel better in order to get over their own traumatizations. They never tell you that they have no idea what they are speaking of because _they_ are still in the search of understanding and salvation.

As Hermione Granger walked through the halls of Hogwarts she remeniced how her friend's mother was a psychiatric doctor who liked to preach to her about how humans work and how we should value our thoughts and deal with grief and every single other emotion that eventually we all have to deal with, yet she couldn't find the path that she had been searching for a lifetime, the road to the healment of her wounds. The solution to the pain that had been endicted by those who she most loved and trusted hadn't been found, and her only resedue of self-respect lied in the work she absorved herself with. Thinking back to the countless conversations she had shared with her Hermione could almost laugh.

They were wrong, all of them. Your body didn't break down in anguish, the accumulation of adversities left it hollow...dead. Then mind couldn't work, and only held the thoughts of self dregregation that the person whom was faced with loss felt. It wasn't something that you could talk about in books with words most people couldn't even understand. In the end, with books or no books, psychiatrists or no psychiatrists, you walked out in the dark, blind. In plain and simple words, you were fucked.

Hermione looked around her and both admired and loathed all those people, whom earlier she would've called her friends, who could live their lives happily, with smiles and no regrets. Once upon a time she had thought she was just like them. Now she realized that she had never been like them, and truth be told, she didn't want to be like them. Her mind was too expanded to just be filled with the things most people her age thought of:boys, make-up, friends, and trends. They couldn't see none of that mattered, they couldn't see that in the long run all those things they thought were so great amounted to nothing.

As she walked she couldn't help but wonder if there was some other reason why she had been put on Earth. Was there any reason at all that she was here? She knew she wasn't there to care about petty things like everyone else did, but at the end of the road she could only see darkness. She started to wonder if all those people that said there was always light at the end of the tunnel were just saying that to make themselves feel better. As she entered her Head Girl/Boy common room, those thoughts streamed through her mind.

She sat on the couch and stared at the crackling fire. A cold smile crept onto her face when she thought how she was just like fire, at times so passionate and utterly furious, yet always so fragile. Just like fire she could be estinguished, just like fire she could die. Maybe it would be better if she did. She didn't know if there was an after-life, but if there was, she was sure it would be a whole lot better than the shit she was facing. She couldn't see that all the pain and grief had started to affect her, fog her mind, and manipulate her into thinking about irrational things. Fortunately for her there were two people that could think for her, and they were watching her. As they entered the common room they knew that their purpose, at least for that time and place, was to get themselves, and Hermione, the ointment that would heal the pain of all the wounds that they had suffered under fo so long.

Both sat on the couch next to her in silence, none expecting to speak. Startling all, Hermione broke the silence and said, "What's our purpose here? Everyone says we have one, but do we? Last time I checked mine was pretty much concealed from me."

Draco looked at her and said, "We may not have one, but for now, I choose to think that mine is to live," he shrugged and looked at her. "It gets you through the day."

"What if, what if you don't want to get through the day?" she tentavely asked.

Blaise looked at her with startling passion in his eyes and said, "You have to! You can't you let yourself go, because if you do there may never be those who will bring you back. If you don't, all those idiotic thoughts you're thinking are going to play out."

His words weren't meant to be harsh, just straightforward. It did no good to beat around the bush of something so serious. "Hermoine, you see that fire," he said pointing to it with a nod of his head. "You're just like it, we're just like it. Yes, it can be estinguished, but it can always come back. When it does, it always comes back with more feriocity than anyone can imagine. You might think this is the end, but it's not. It's only the beggining," he said, ending in a whisper.

Hermione stood up and said, "I'm going to take a bath."

It was already after dinner, and almost time to sleep. Both knew she wouldn't harm herself...not yet. She walked into the bathroom with both of their eyes watching her. She slipped into the bathroom and closed the door. She prepared a nice, hot bath that would at least ease her body, if not her aching heart. Outside she heard Blaise and Draco talking, but for now, she chose to drone them out.

"You know what she's going to do, right?" Blaise asked in a monotous tone.

"Yes, I know. Just what we did," Draco said, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

"We can't let her do it, Draco. We just can't!" Blaise said, uncalled tears springing to his eyes.

"I know. I know," Draco said in a comforting voice.

Hermione Granger wasn't an incredible beauty. In fact, she was one of those people you could see once and forget about. Yet, she had something that no one else had. Her mind was extensive and understanding, if analitycall at times. Above all else, though, she had a heart that had been bruise, but still remained pure. Not many people had that, and for that she was more special than anyone Blaise and Draco had ever met.

Their interest in Hermione hadn't been a sudden thing. Actually, they had watched her since thier fourth year. They recognized her changes, changes her own friends didn't even acknowledge. That, though, couldn't be put against them. She was great at hiding her emotions, you could only detect them if you were searching for them. Blaise and Draco had searched enxtensively, trying to find one who could help them. Trying to find someone that could mend their tattered souls. They had found her, and they were not about to let her go.

They both waited outside, in the shadows, for Hermione to come out. At midnight she did. She walked with starry eyes forward, towards the Transfiguration tower, just like they had predicted. Her white nightgown billowed as air caught up with her, making her look like a ghost. A marage that you had to look at twice in order to believe real. She seemed magical, her feet barely grazing the ground. Grace of searching peace had over taken her, this they were familiar with.

They followed, not making a single sound. They walked up the stairs towards, in the class room, and outside to the balcony. Hermione stood at the edge of it, gazing at the moon. The light from the stars illuminated her, and the moon's lunar face cast it's phosphorecent glow on her. Diamond tears streamed down her face, but a smile stayed in her face. This was truly an angel in all it's glory.

Her life didn't have a meaning anymore, none at all. Her friends didn't know her, she didn't have a family, and being smart didn't even count as life, not really. Actually, her life was like when you tried to grab water in your fist. You could manage to hold it there, but it was slowly slipping between your fingers, just like her life was slipping away from her. So what did it matter if she died? No one would even notice, and if they did it would probably take weeks. So she had her answer...it didn't matter. Not to her, not to anybody.

She took a step forward, her feet touching the very edge of the cold stone. She extended her arms and looked once again at the moon, for the last time. She looked forward, closed her eyes, and took a step forward. Just was gravity was about to take over, a pair of arms encased her waist and pulled her back. The force knocked her over and on top of Draco Malfoy. She looked at him with a resigned and crestfallen expression. Why couldn't they understand? Why couldn't she just be left alone?

"Let me go. Just let me die," she said in an anaudible whisper.

"You can't Hermione, you can't think for a minute that dying is going to solve your problems. It won't, do you hear me, it won't!" he said shaking her shoulders.

"Why not? Why can't it, it's not like God is going to. I've tried it, He doesn't answer, so what's the point in trying?" she said, harshly standing up. "Why should I believe in Him, when He never gave me anything to believe in?"

Blaise came out of the shadows and said passionately, "Because you need something to belive in, Hermione. Can't you see? If you can't believe in Him, then believe in yourself. If you can't do that, believe in me, in _us_. We _need_ to believe in something, Hermione. If you can't, then you're already dead."

"I just want to die. I just want to rest," she said, choking through her sobs.

"It will come. For all of us," Draco said. "But for that, we need _you_. We need you to tell us it's going to be okay, just like we're telling you that it is going to be okay now. Believe _that_, like Blaise said, belive in us," he finished passionately.

Hermione sank to the floor, and cradles her knees to her chest. She rocked back and forth and looked at them, "I know I'm being weak. I don't want to be, though. So why can't I stop?"

"You don't have to stop. You just have to make peace with yourself. That's all," Blaise said.

"That's all?" Hermione asked them.

"That's all," Draco and Blaise said at the same time.

They pulled her to her feet and held her. Blaise pulled out an Invisibility cloak and put it over all of them. They started making their slow proggresion, Hermione resting all her weight in their strong arms. They walked throught the silent hall, past the sleeping portraits. Just as they were about to reach their common room, they saw Dumbledore walking towards them. As they passed him his eyes followed them, and just as they were about to leave his eyesight, they saw a crystalline tear slid down his wrinkled face.

They entered the common room and made their way to Draco's room. He had a King size bed, which was perfect. They made their way to the bed and placed Hermione in the middle of it. Draco slid next to her on her right and Blaise to her left. Hermione looked at both of them, and before drifting into sleep said, "Thank you."

Blaise and Draco looked at her sleeping form and sighed. They looked at each other, knowing that their journey had just begun. Draco smiled a weary and tired smile and silently turned of the light with a spell. In the darkness, after some minutes, he said, "No, thank _you_."

* * *

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	4. Chapter Four:Admitions!

Broken!

Chapter Four:Admitions!

_Recap:_Blaise and Draco looked at her sleeping form and sighed. They looked at each other, knowing that their journey had just begun. Draco smiled a weary and tired smile and silently turned of the light with a spell. In the darkness, after some minutes, he said, "No, thank you."

Since one is able to talk, we are sterotyped by everyone. It's part of human nature, it's the part that takes us back to prehistoric time periods when we were half animals. We label and judge those around us because of what we see, not by anything else. Though many think it's wrong, it doesn't mean it's going to change. Cowardice won't let those few hypocritical people who speak up about it do anything becuase in the end they are just the same. We all know it happens, and we're all so secure with what we believe that we never bother to go deeper and see what's really there. Not the image, but the person!

Hermione Granger had been sterotyped all her life. Her shining intelligence had prompted everyone to treat her as the bookworm. She was the know-it-all Gryffindor who had never in her life had been beaten schoolastically. No one could ever see that she was so much more. She wasn't just that image of a "perfect," innocent girl whom everyone believed she was. She wasn't alright, she wasn't happy, she didn't have any friends; no one, at all, could look past what they saw, to see who she really was.

Even though she knew how wrong it was, how judgemental, and sadistic, she was just like them. She had labeled Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini as 'gits,' no-soul-containing bodies who only lived to make others miserable. At that very moment, while she layed wide awake next to the Slytherin Princes', she couldn't have been proved more wrong.

Next to her Draco began to thrash around in his sleep. His eyelids fluttered uncontrollably and he began mumbling. Sharp cries escaped his sleep as he fought in his dreams. Sweat glistened on his damp forehead and, unbelievably, a small tear escaped the corner of his eye. He thrust his arms to shield himself from whatever it was that hunted him in an attempt to protect himself. Yet, through out it all, he was a defenceless and fragile as a child.

As Hermione looked at him with pure empathy in her eyes she understood that she was there to save them. Suddenly she wasn't just a know-it-all little girl. Suddenly she had a purpose, and her purpose was them...Draco and Blaise. Just as Draco let out another sharp cry for help, Hermione shook his shoulders in an attempt to wake him and take him away from whatever it was that had hurt him so bad. 

Draco's eyes sprang open with pure shock and pain written in them. He looked at Hermione frantically, numb, not feeling how she shook him, questioning him, "Draco, Draco. Are you okay? Draco, look at me. Come on, are you okay?"

Draco looked at her and mumbled, "Yes, yes...I'm fine."

Hermione looked at him and with a pained look asked the question that she knew was necessary to ask, "Draco, what haunts you? What's happened, what's wrong?"

The shook suddenly left Draco as tears welled up in his eyes. The tough demenour he had developed to hide himself from everyone else shattered as he showed his true self to Hermione. Tear after tear rolled down his cheek as he looked at her and answered, "Me. Him...they did."

Hermione looked at him in confusion but decided not to press so hard now. She knew when he was ready to say what he had to say he would tell her. Instead, Hermione opened her arms wide and Draco craweled between her legs, burying his face in her shoulder. She supported her back against the back board of the bed as she held Draco's shaking body, feeling her own tears streaming down her face.

Next to her Blaise heard the commotion and woke with a start. He looked at the scene that unfurled in front of him and crawled towards them. Hermione looked at him through a tearful face and held out her hand. He sat next to her and took it, feeling what it was, for the first time, to be part of a family...to be accepted.

Draco turned his head towards Blaise and smiled a very sad smile. Finally everything was coming together, everything that they had ever wanted, everything that they had always deserved. He looked at Hermione and wiped a hand across his face. He cleared the tears away and cleared his throat. She needed to know everything, because if she didn't, he couldn't expect her to open up. If she didn't open up, the events from last night could be attempted again.

"I was about seven years old when one day my father's friends came to visit him. I made the mistake of going into the study where they sat conversating. I had done my first real magic, I had created a glass ball that was the azure blue. That was my father's favorite color, and I had made it just for him. I thought he would be so proud that I had made it, after all, not many kids that age could do what I had done. Anyway, I went in there and presented it to him. I held it up high for him to admire. He actually smiled, pride shining in his eyes, but then his friends laughed. They laughed cruelly and asked my father if he hadn't taught me any manners running into the study like that," Draco sniffed as more tears came running down his face.

"My father lost his smile, and lost the look in his eyes. He pushed me and scolded me. He had done it before, so I didn't think much of it, but then Pansy's father came up behind me and kicked me. He kicked me so hard he sent me sprawling towards the far wall, against the fire place. My nose was bleeding and I think that I broke one of my ribs, I didn't know what I had done wrong, but I thought if I apologized maybe they would forgive me. So I got up and said sorry. Goyle's dad scorned at me and slapped me across the face, leaving a big hand print on my face. I started to cry and I looked at my father for help, but he only looked away, with no feeling in his face. He didn't protect me, he didn't do anything. From then on it only got worse," Draco said looking down.

Hermione saw the pain in his eyes and felt as if her heart was being torn out of her chest. She reached a tentive hand forward and rested it on Draco's cheek, "Oh, Draco. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

Draco looked at her and, not at all disdainfully, said, "I told you, I don't want your sympathy."

As he said it, he turned his head to the side, avoiding her eyes. Hermione pushed his face back, forcing him to look at her, and said, "I'm not offering because I'm trying to be a good samaritan. I'm giving it because you need it." As she finished she cut off another tear's path, as it raced down his face.

Next to them Blaise smiled, truly happy for the first time in a long time. They looked at him and he said, smile still in place, "I will share my part when it's right. This moment was for you, Draco. Not for anyone else."

Draco looked at him and smiled in return, "Thank you, my friend."

Hermione looked at both of them, her own pain put aside, and said, "You two need to sleep."

They glanced at the clock and saw that it was only five o'clock in the morning. "What about you?" Blaise asked.

Hermione smiled and answered, "I'm used to waking up at five. That's just how my body works."

They all shared a look, and both boys settled down on either side of Hermione's sitting form. On her right, Draco snuggled close and put his tired face on her lap, and on her left, she put an arm around Blaise's shoulders. She ran her fingers through Draco's hair and rubbed Blaise's back, lulling them back to sleep. Nothing occupied her mind at that moment, except for the warm feeling she had expected to feel all her life...the feeling of acceptance.

As the clock on Draco's nightstand struck seven, she gently shook them awake. They grumbled and both snuggled closer to her, trying to go back to their much needed sleep. Hermione look down at them and shook them again, finally, after the millionth time, they relented and woke up. They looked at her through sleep-blurred eyes and Draco mumbled, "You're cruel."

Hermione looked at him and retorted, "And you're going to be late to breakfast if you don't hurry."

They left the room, going to take showers, leaving her to change. Her body was tense with never ending grief, and her heart and soul were heavy. Yet, deep down, there was a small feeling of hope tha flickered now and again, lifting some of the pain away. As she changed, she shook her head at how everything was happening, with whom everything was happening. If any logic were correct, none of it made sense. Then again, logic didn't make sense anymore...nothign made sense anymore.

Hermione met them in the living room fresh and ready. Draco's face was shining, his body seemed renewed. He was like freshly bloomed rose that could either be fresh and beautiful one moment, or writhered the next. Besides him Blaise too seemed to be more happy. There are many people that you have in you life. Some you can call acquaintances, others maybe even friends, but if you could ever label best frieds these two were it.

Hermione walked up to them and greeted them. They started walking towards the Great Hall, but halted outside the doors. Hermione looked at them and said, "If they see us they'll start talking."

Draco and Blaise looked at each other and nodded. "We know," Draco said a little defleated.

Hermione looked at them as she entered the Great Hall first. She knew they weren't friends yet, they weren't just acquaintances, though. There was a bond that had been created, but realistically, a friendship was no established. Too much had been said and done between them to become buddy-buddy with each other just because of similarities. It didn't matter how much the similarities were, or how much they all needed of each other.

Hermione reached the Gryffindor table and sat in her usual spot next to Harry. Harry looked at her and smiled his dashing hero smile, "Hello Hermione, how have you been? I've missed you."

Inside Hermione torn between being sadistic and beliveing in him, "I'm fine Harry, how are you?"

"Good, good," he said. "Hermione, are you sure you're okay. I haven't seen you around lately."

A small flicker of hope entered her heart when she heard that he cared, "I'm sure Harry."

"Oh, okay. I was just asking because you haven't helped Ron and I with our homework as much as you used to," he said, no harm intended.

The small hopefulness dissapeared from Hermione as she finally understood that they would never understand her. Even after being her 'friend' for so long, they didn't know anything about her. She looked away from him so as to not show him her dissapointed look, and instead, glanced at the Great Hall doors. They opened and in came Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, smirks in place. She had to hand it to them, they were great at hiding their feelings.

Draco and Blaise strode past her table onto their own, but as they did, both shot her looks that were pure irony, considering their past. Seeing her understanding, they moved on and took their seats in the middle of the Slytherin table. All Slytherin students, from the youngest to the oldest, averted their gazes from them. They _were_ the Slytherin Princes', they _were_ respected.

At the other side of the table Pansy scooted away from them more. Contrary to popular believe, she did not throw herself at Draco, just like every single other Slytherin, she feared him. The fear came part from his family background, but also from both Draco and Blaise's quick-to-anger attitudes. They were both equally respected because they were the only ones' that could calm each other down, and they all knew it was not an easy task.

On the next table, Hermione shook her head as she saw the way all the Slytherins succumed to Draco and Blaise. She kne why they were respect, they had valid reasons. She too understood why they were feared, but now her face took on an unnoticed smirk as she looked at them. Draco saw her looking and gave her a smirk of his own, imitating her just right, and raising a fine eyebrow. Hermione looked at him and, though she didn't want to, smiled. Across the table a red haired girl noticed all of this, but only looked down and stared at her plate fiercely.

The Professors signaled them to go to class and so all the students exited. Hermione walked to her classes, doing everything she was supposed to do right, never messing up. Most people said that when you were in an emotional state you couldn't concentrate, but that was a pure lie. Because you want to get away from everything that's happening, your body tries to concentrate on something else, just like hers did academically.

They all went by fast, as she received admirative glances from her Professors, knowing they knew about her parents. She received many points for her house, and moved on, not caring. In Potions, Professor Snape assigned them their task, and moved around the room, checking for the merest mistake anyone made so that he could embarrase them. As Hermione stirred for the final time she put her hand down to place the vial in it's corresponding spot, and cut her wrist. She stared down at the running blood entranced, she ran a finger across it, and for the first time since her parents died, she knew she was alive. At least the blood proved it.

Professor Snape came up behind her and stared at her transfixed form curiously and slowly drawled, "Miss Granger, is there something special about your wrist you would like to share with us?"

Hermione quickly put her wrist underneath her desk and urgently answered, "No Professor, not at all."

She had been quick when she had hidden her wrist. She was so quick no one in the class saw her even doing it. Yes, she was fast, but not fast enough for Draco, Blaise, and Snape not to notice what she was trying to hide. All three had seen the bleeding wrist, the droplets of blood on her fingers, and the lost look in her eyes. Yes, she was quick, but not quick enough.

**Thank you for reading this and please REVIEW. I really appreciate it when you do becuase it shows that you guys like my work, and that is the best gift any writer could receive. Please stick around to see what happens, becuase it's only starting to get good.**

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	5. Chapter Five:Hope!

Broken!

Chapter Five:Hope!

_Recap:_She had been quick when she had hidden her wrist. She was so quick no one in the class saw her even doing it. Yes, she was fast, but not fast enough for Draco, Blaise, and Snape not to notice what she was trying to hide. All three had seen the bleeding wrist, the droplets of blood on her fingers, and the lost look in her eyes. Yes, she was quick, but not quick enough.

It truly is a marvelous thing how even the most cold hearted person will come out of his or her shell and help someone when they believed that person needs to be helped. The pity we seem to show for other, but that when in their position we never want, some would say, is a natural instantaneous characteristic. We always seem to want to help others, because being supersticious we believe Karma exists. We believe that if you do something good for someone in need, you will get something good in return. We belive that God judges you based on you actions that can either ensure your way into Heaven or condemn you to Hell. In plain in simple words, we may not do it for the benefit of others, but ourselves. Yet, Karma may exist, God's law may exist, and human nature may occur, but what we always seem to forget is that none of the people we believe need to be 'saved' actually ever want our help.

Though it seems we always need the extra hand to get us back on our feet, most of us refuse it even in the most dire of situations. Most people would call it pride, but others choose to call it honor. Some of us refuse to degrade ourselves in front of others. We refuse to let weakness show, because if you are weak people, in profound animal instinct, will crowd you and offer the pity that we so much detest. When you show weakness it's like announcing to the world that you are ready to be picked alive. Most of us fight the petty, insignifact gestures like the most fierce of tigers, even if inside you are nothing but a broken down dove who needs to be nursed back to health.

Hermione Granger was one of the few whose honor overrode the any help she might ever need. She had been brought up as someone others believed to be a gentle, gay soul, but she was all but that. She was as strong as a lonesome wolf and as fierce as the most feared snake. She would never allow herself to show the weakness her body and mind felt at the moment. Her honor prevented her from running to the arms of Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy in search of the comfort she needed. Instead, she would prefer to go to a cold corner instead and stay there until the light of the moon claimed her.

Thoughts like those were running through Hermione's mind as she took her finished potion to the Potion Master's desk. Her bleeding wrist was clutched in the inside of her robes, surrounded by already wetting material. She hadn't done it on purpose, she was too smart for that. She wouldn't hurt herself, that would be the most degrading, the most _weak_ thing she could ever do. The cut across her sensitive skin stung, sending unwelcomed tears to her eyes, but she wouldn't show it, she wouldn't allow herself to. So she continued forward and placed the vile down, and walked out of the class room just as Snape dismised the class. She left with a pair of black orbs on her back, and with two boys following pursuit.

She tripped over people and didn't even bother to apologize. As she turned the corner she ran as fast as she could and slammed the door open as she entered the abandoned Girls Bathroom. She ran and washed the blood away and held pressure on her wrist. Tears slid down her cheeks as she tried desperately to stop the bleeding. The gash was deeper than she had originally thought, in fact it was probably twice as deep and a good two inches long. She was concentrating so hard on her task she didn't hear the footstepst that aproached her.

Blaise ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders. He turned her to face him harshly, his voice quivering with emotion, "Hermione, tell me you did not do that on purpose! Tell me you're not doing anything stupid, tell me you're not being me!"

Hermione looked up at him with vacant eyes and hollowly answered, "I didn't do it on purpose...I promise."

Blaise looked in her eyes and wouldn't let his gaze fall from hers. He searched her eyes for the truth, he desperately searched for an answer that told him Hermione was not doing what he so much wanted her not to do. She couldn't do it, she couldn't do it to herself, she couldn't do it to them. Finally reaching the answers he sought he let out a shuddering sigh, a tear slipping from his eye, "Hermione. Oh, God Hermione, you scared me!"

He pulled her to him and crushed her in the warmest hug he had ever experienced, perhaps the only real hug he had ever given and received. He let angry and sad tears fall from his eyes, inside his heart swollen with relief. His heart would've broken if Hermione had ever tried to do what almost killed him.

Hermione pulled away and slowly asked, "What's wrong? It's not that big of a deal.''

For the first time Draco spoke, his voice husky with tremendous relief, "Not a big deal? Hermione, you don't know how big it is!"

Hermione looked at him with a puzzled gaze and turned to Blaise. He looked at her and then back at Draco who gave him an encouraging smile, "One night, after my mother brought home another of her boyfriends my current stepfather caught her," he shook his head and continued, "So much rage in a person I have never seen. The thing is, you see, that my mother has always been sick, she has always admired lunacy and rage in the most wonderous way. Her beauty seems to shine even more than any other time, her eyes sparkle, just as they did when Robert caught her with her affair. Robert went crazy, he didn't love my mother, but he hated the prospect of his most valued possesion leaving him for someone else."

He took another stifling breath and said, "Robert dueled with my mother's one night stand, almost killing him. My mother's face betrayed how happy and enthusiastic she really was...it was sickening. She interveined and sent her partner away and dismissed Robert like he meant nothing to her," Blaise's eyes glazed over in memory of one of his most dreadful remembrances. "He was still hot and raging and the next best thing to the actual guy who was sleeping with his wife was me...her son. He went into my room and woke me up, pulling me from my bed and throwing me across the room against the wall. Instantly two of my ribs broke, I was only eight at the time, and I was still a weak child."

Tears fell down his eyes as he kept explaining, "He went over to me and beat me over and over again. He hit my ches and stomach making me cry out in pain. I called out to my mother in anguished cries, begging her to save me from that demented moster. I know she heard me, she had to, but she never came. Robert kept on hitting me, but after a while he got tired and left me alone. I don't even remeber how it happened, but my glass bookshelf had somehow been broken during the time he was beating me, I guess I hit it or something." He took a moment to steady himself, "At the moment all I knew was that I wanted to die, nothing could be worse then where I was, so what was the point in living? I grabbed the glass and slit my wrists, let the blood run out in gushes, wishing for peace."

Hermione let out a gast and clutched his hand in an automatic response, "I was almost dead, everything was black when I faintly heard a house elf enter my room. He saw me there, against a cold corner," he ironically said. "He saved my life. He performed forbidden magic, brought me back from the dead. I'm not supposed to be here, and you know what, only part of me is here. I brought something back, some magic that was never meant to be mine, but it is. The thing is, that the only way I knew I was really alive was when I felt the blood flowing freely, and I wanted to know I was alive. So, I kept on doing it, but I stopped and you are NOT about to start. You can't let yourself go, I, _we_, can't let you go!"

Hermione looked at him and then down at the stone floor, fear sipping into her body, "I-It, I felt it too. The pain of life, the real pain of life, the blood. I'm not going to do it, Blaise, don't worry. I'm scared, though. I'm too numb to feel anything and what if, what if I can't feel anything? I want to belive that I'm strong, but I'm not. God as my witness, I'm not!"

Draco walked over to her and tipped her head upwards to meet his, "If you're not, if I'm not, then we are together. Don't you fucking dare think that you're not strong, because you are. You are, and with us you're stronger, _we're_ stronger. Hermione, we don't offer pity, we offer you _hope!_"

Hermione had always been skepticall about everything she could not physically prove, but for the first time in her life, she belived in hope. She looked down at her still bleeding wrist and then back up at Draco and smiled. Draco looked at her and then he looked at Blaise. "Blaise, give me your wrist."

Blaise didn't ask why, he just let his wrist rest in Draco's outstretched hand. Draco took out his wand and slid it across Blaise's wrist, making it bleed. He looked down at his own wrist and did the same. He looked at both of them and took both of their wrists in his hand and placed them all together, bonding them forever. "We will always have each other, do you understand? We will always be part of each other, and most importantly, we will always be each other's hope, becuase without hope we will never move on, and by God we need to move on. We deserve to move forward!"

After a minute of relieved silence Blaise placed both of his hands on his friend's wrists. He touched all of their mixed blood and closing his eyes he binded them together, for an eternity. Hermione and Draco felt a soft tingling and looked down at their wrists. Somehow the wounds had healed, showing no proof of what had happened earlier. Neither said anything, everything that needed to be explained would be explained in time.

They walked out of the bathroom with more confident strides, a sof aura surrounding their forms. They walked through the halls and entered their slightly lighted rooms. They walked and sat on the couch, not saying anything, staring at the crackling fire. As they sat, a soft tapping was heard at the door. Blaise looked at them and walked to the door. He opened it and welcomed Hogwarts' Head Master.

Dumbledore walked with saddened eyes and stood infront of Hermione. She refused to look up at him, but asked, "What is it?"

"Hermione, I have already taken the necessary measures and fixed the funeral for your parents. I just wanted to tell you that, and tell you that I'm sorry," he finished looking down.

Hermione gritted her teeth and answered, "Thank you."

"Hermione, my girl, I am so sorry. Please understand I would have done anything to save them," he continued.

The reality of everything that was happening hit Hermione, sending wild rage through her body, "I said, thank you."

"Hermioen, please forgive me, please understand," he begged.

Hermione raised her raged, tear-filled eyes to meet Dumbledore's and spat out, "Don't you dare show me pity. Don't you dare say you're sorry. Don't say anything! It won't change anything, I said thank you and I mean it, but don't you dare try to make yourself feel better at my expense."

Dumbledore's face contorted in shock, "That was not m..."

Hermione jumped up and interrupted, "What, not your intention. Who are we kidding here? You know you want to make yourself feel better over the shame you unjustly feel. I'm the one that has and does feel like that, you have no reason to do so. Like I said, thank you, but you need to leave. I understand how you must feel, but you have no idea how I feel, so don't even pretend you do. I will be ready tomorrow for the funeral, and I will go alone, nothing more needs to be said."

"Hermione, don't you think you should take Ron and Harry with you, they are you're friends. I'm sure they would go if you asked. You need them," Dumbledore stated.

Hermione looked at him and responded, "I said I would go alone and I will go alone. They do not need to know. They are leading happy lives and they don't deserved to be disturbed because of me. Now, please leave!"

Dumbledore looked down defeated and was about to retreat when Draco's voice broke the silence, "Don't worry Professor, Blaise and I will go with her. She will not be alone."

Dumbledore shot him a grateful look and said, "Thank you."

Draco nodded and Dumbledore took his exit. Hermione turned to him and said, "You don't have to go. It's okay!"

"No, we're going to go Hermione. Believe it or not, that's what friends are for," Blaise said.

At that moment, Hermione did believe, she believed with all her heart!

* * *

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**Love,**

**Aly!**


	6. Chapter Six:Realization!

Broken!

Chapter Six:Realization!

_Recap:_Hermione turned to him and said, "You don't have to go. It's okay!"

"No, we're going to go Hermione. Believe it or not, that's what friends are for," Blaise said.

At that moment, Hermione did believe, she believed with all her heart!

Traumatization is something that when faced with great loss is natural. In definition traumatization means _an_ _emotional_ _shock that has a lasting effect onthe mind_, in real life traumatization means that what used to make sense now has no meaning. Things that were of the most importance to you now have the littlest value and it makes you wonder why it was that you thought them so important in the first place. It also makes you wonder why it is that suddenly all you hear from everyone is 'sorry' and 'it'll be okay,' when everyone knows that it will never be so. Suddenly all you see around you are the people who step on the shells of who you used to be. All you see is the insincere pity of others around you and all they see is something insensate, because who you were, in the end, is dead.

The never ending, hollow pity you receive feeds the traumatize in the raw mind making everything seem ten times worse, because you never want to hear that they are 'sorry,' because once they say that you know that it's true. You are forced to realize that what you so desperately want to have back you will never have again. The false facade of profound love people want to show to help heal you always seems to backfire and does more damage than good. Yet, for some reason, no one ever seems to notice that. No one ever wants to acknowledge that what they want to give you, you never want to accept. They never want to accept the fact that in the end it will always be them and then you, because the pain that they unknowingly inflict upon you cuts deeper than the sharpest blade.

As Hermione got dressed in a simple knee-length black dress she prepared herself for the gut wrenching pain she knew would come when she was forced to really acknowledge the fact that her parents were dead. She prepared herself for the apologies and sour sweetness of everyone she knew would be at the funeral. For the first time since she received the news of her parents deceasement she looked up and asked for strength, because at that moment that's what she needed, that's all she needed.

She looked at herself in the miror for the first time in weeks and saw a ghost looking back at her. Her reflection did nothing to hide her paleness, the ghostly white of her face. Her sunken cheeks contrasted enormously with the big doe eyes that seemed out of place. That didn't bother her, though, but she did know there was something wrong. She didn't care about the paleness or the cheeks, but then it hit her, it was her eyes. There was no emotion, there was no light, they were dead. The shining energy that used to recide in them was gone and all that was left was the pain that she felt, the pain she felt could kill her.

Hermione shook her head, now wasn't the time to analyze psychiatric way why it was that her heart felt heavy, her mind light, and her soul broken. No, it was time for her to face the monsters that haunted her. It was time to go and convince herself that it was really true. It was time for her, her mind told her, to grow up. She took a deep breath and stepped out of her room. She found Blaise and Draco waiting for her on the couch both dressed in magnificent black, silk suits. They looked at her and stood up, Blaise took a step towards her and grabbed her by the arm. She looked at him and then at Draco and in a stifling sigh said, "Thank you."

"We should go, Hermione," Draco stated looking down at his hands.

"I-I need to get something to drink," Hermione answered quickly slipping into their mini-kitchen.

Draco went to the counter and places his elbows on it, "Hermione, you have to do this. You can't put it off, please, come on."

Hermione looked at him and her eyes filled with stinging tears, "I know, let's go."

Hermione walked in silence to the fire place and stepped in, Blaise and Draco following. She grabbed a fistfull of flu powder and opened her mouth, but the words wouldn't come. She couldn't form the painful sentence. Blaise looked at her and grabbed her hand for support. Hermione looked at him and nodded, "Granger home."

Their world swirled and the suddenly stopped as they were thrusted onto soft carpet. They picked themselves up and took a look around. Hermione's heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an unseen powerful hand. She couldn't stand smelling the smell of her mother's lavender spray, she couldn't stand seeing the family pictures, or see the books her father had given her in numerous attention. Her mind screamed for her to run and so she ran. She threw open the door and ran outside.

Air couldn't get into her lungs, they felt closed and she was slowly suffocating. She gulped in oxygen trying to calm her mind and get the thousands of black dots that were dancing in front of her eyes to dissapear. After a few minutes she looked up and stared into the faces of Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, "I can't," she whispered.

"Yes you can, don't do this to yourself," Blaise said stepping forward pulling her bent for upright.

Hermione shook her head, "I-NO! I have to go."

She started for the house, but Draco's arms enclosed around her and he whispered in her ear, "If you don't do this, Hermione, all those monsters will haunt you for the rest of your life. Don't let yourself be dominated by how scary this is, don't let all that pain win!"

Hermione took a shuddering breath in and stepped away from him. She looked in front of her and, for the first time, noticed a black car waiting for them. She looked at them and nodded, walking towards the car. They followed suit and soon the car started moving to it's unavodiable destination. She looked out the window, memories of all the adventures she had experienced with her parents on all those streets traveling through her mind.

The car stopped moving and they got out and entered the magnificent Catholic church. The rows of seated people turned their sorry gazes to her as she, Blaise, and Draco made their way towards the front of the church. They sat on the first bench staring at the closed caskets. The preist started the sermon and people came up to the podium and started their perspective speeches saying how great the lives of these two individuals had been. Hermione, however, didn't hear any of that, her mind concentrated on the two caskets.

Hermione felt herself being jerked at the arm and noticed that everyone was quiet and staring at her. She looked at Draco and asked, "What?"

"The preist just asked if you would like to say anything."

"Oh, no," Hermione said.

Everyone was shocked by her response, but they all stood up and made their way outside of the church. A couple stayed, though, and made their way towards Hermione. A medium height woman came to Hermione and said, "Hermione, dear, I am so, so sorry. Are you okay?"

Hermione saw her, but her mind was looking at the brown peices of wood that contained the two people she most loved in the world, "Could you just go outside, please? I'll talk to you later."

The woman looked shocked, but quickly said, "Why-umm-yes. I'll see you."

Hermione turned to Draco and Blaise, "Could you two please go too? Just for a few minuted."

Blaise opened his mouth to object, but Hermione cut him off, "Please.''

He looked at her, but nodded. Draco started walking and Blaise followed him, leaving Hermione behind. After the doors had been shut Hermione turned and walked towards the place where her parent's bodies recided. She reached her hands out and touched the peices of wood that stood side by side. It was then she noticed that the caskets weren't separated, but were joined together. She opened the casket up and found herself staring at her parents.

She stayed like that for a few minutes, just trying to process their dead forms through her mind. Suddenly it all clicked and she let out a heart wrenching cry that she had been holding in for the longest of times. Her body shook as she sunk to the ground tears falling down her face. She grabbed her head in her hands and slowly whispered through choked sobs, "Why did you leave me? Why did you leave me now that I need you so much? WHY?" she ended screaming.

She stood up and looked down reproachfully at her parents, "Why the hell did you have to go? Why didn't you live? Why does it hurt so much? Tell me if that's what you wanted! Tell me that you're coming back, _please_!"

Hermione looked up when she heard the double doors open and stared through tear stained eyes at Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. They came towards her and helped her up, "Hermione, are you okay?"

Hermione looked away and looked at her parents again. She touched them lightly and then shut the casket again. She looked at her 'friends' and started walking to the door. "Hermione, we heard you scream. Are you okay?" Draco asked, concern creasing his voice.

"Yes, I'm fine!" Hermione said, sniffing and wiping a hand across her face.

They walked outside to the car without saying a word. As they walked by everyone's eyes were fixed upon them. Still they kept moving until they reached to car that would take them to the cementary. She looked back and saw people carrying her parents into the limo. They drove until they reached it and all got out of the car and stared at the beautiful cementary that was to be Hermione's parent's abode.

The preist along with everone else arrived and the burying soon began. They put down the casket and the preist continued with they prayers, all was lost to Hermione, though, because her mind and body had gone numb. She looked at everything they were doing, but she never saw. She felt herself throw down the first fist of dirt, but didn't know what she was doing. After it was all done she felt herself being dragged to the car, but she didn't, couldn't, really feel at all.

They entered the reception hall where everyone had gone to pay their final respects. As soon as Hermione arrived she was bombarded by herds of people who came up to her. Her somber gaze offered gratitude, but her mind wanted nothing more then to tell them to go and fuck themselves. "Hermione, I just want you to know that I'm sorry such great people have left us," Marylin Driver, someone who had hated her parents told her.

Hermoine clenched her jaw and had to fight the urge to slap this woman across the face. This woman who had flirted with her father and put off as well, hated all of her family for it and now was telling her she was sorry. She was telling her she was _sorry_! "Thank you, Mrs. Driver."

It never stopped, they always kept on coming. All of the people kept on saying 'sorry' an all kinds of comforting things that made Hermione want to scream at them! "Hermione," Draco said.

"If you dare say sorry as well I will kill you!" she said looking up at him.

Draco let a small, sad smile creep up and said, "No, it's just time to go home."

"Home, I don't have a home," she scorned.

"Your home is with us," Draco said, staring intently at her.

She sighed, "Okay, then. Let's go home."

They went back to the house and into the fire place. Hermione grabbed a fist of flu powder and shouted, "Hogwarts' kitchen!"

Blaise and Draco both looked at her and raised eyebrows, "I need some warm chocolate!"

They went into the kitchens and all three got hot chocolate. They took their mugs with them and walked out and towards their rooms. Along the way, though, a red head girl caught sight of them and clenched her fists. Hermione, Blaise, and Draco, however, didn't notice. They were too tired, too scared of life itself, and in the end too traumatized.

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**Thank you for reading! I'm sorry this one took so long, and I know this one isn't my best one, but I hope you enjoy it all the same. Thank you again and please REVIEW!**

**Love,**

**Aly!**


	7. Chapter Seven:Genocide!

Broken!

Chapter Seven:Genocide!

_Recap:_They went into the kitchens and all three got hot chocolate. They took their mugs with them and walked out and towards their rooms. Along the way, though, a red head girl caught sight of them and clenched her fists. Hermione, Blaise, and Draco, however, didn't notice. They were too tired, too scared of life itself, and in the end too traumatized.

Genocide has by many been defined as the mass murder of a nation. It has, by many, been used to describe what the Nazis and Fascist party did to the Jews. By others, it has even been used to described what Americans did to Native Americans and even the forcement our Founding Fathers imposed on African Americans. Yet, for some reason, no one has ever defined genocide as the murder of ones' world. Though the idea seems radical, there fails to be another more suiting word.

Genocide has been occuring for a life time, even if it has been failed to be noticed. No one seems to understand that, for each of us, the people we live and familiarize ourselves with are our nation, our world. For each of us, in turn, everything that we have believed in and thought for our who life is torn down in a seconds notice. It seems strange, though, that this murder that is committed upon us is barely ever done by a group. It seems strange that those who break our lives are those we loved the most. Above all else, it seems strange that because they are who they are, we can never truly have impunity. Those who we love are always the ones that hurt us the most.

Hermione Granger found herself in between two warms bodies in front of the roaring fire. Her eyes were swollen and her hair was disheveled and protruding at odd angles. She looked down at her wrinkled wardrobe and found herself wearing the dress she had worn the night before. She shook her head weakly and slowly stood up. Carefully she made her way into her room and opened the door. It seemed an eternity since she had entered her living quarters, she mused.

She made her way into the bathroom and stood before the undiscriminating mirror. The girl staring back at her looked like the corpse of the cross between a junkie and a drunk. Her body was shrinking as was her face. Her sunken cheeks and pale face gave way and told the truth of how she hadn't eaten a healthy meal in weeks. Hermione felt frail, nothing like the fiery know-it-all she remembered being.

She stepped out of her dress and delicately folded it. She walked brushed her teeth and quietly undressed completely. She stepped into the shower and turned on the warm, suculent water. Hermione felt hersef give way at the rythmic beat of the water against her skin. Unwanted memories wirled through her mind and she found herself seeing the way things used to be. The simplistic ways she used to have now seemed alien and she couldn't really understand how it all had changed so dramatically. She saw pictures of her mother's laughing form as her father carried her up the stairs on their aniversary.

At that she shook her head. She didn't want those memories, she didn't want to remember her parents because they would never come back. Her vision became blurry as she sunk to the ground and silently cried. She sat there motionlessly for a while, letting her self-pity cruise through her body.

"No, I will not feel sorry for myself. I will not show weakness, these tears will have to dry up some day, and now is a good time as any."

She stood up and walked out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and walked into her room with her dress in her hands. Hermione opened her closed door and took out a decorated box she had received from her mother when she was in her third year. She carefully put the dress in it and quickly shut the lid and threw the box in the closet. She did not wait for the pain to come back, instead she dressed and walked out into the living room.

Hermione heard the shower running in the adjoicent room, and she assumed it was Draco taking a shower seeing how Blaise was curled up in a ball on the couch. She walked over to him and stared down at him with an intense gaze, "You need to get up."

"No," came the almost pouty response.

"Oh, come on, stop playing. You're going to be late for classes if you don't get up," she answered shaking her head.

"I don't want to go and you can't make me," Blaise muffled response came.

"You're right, and I don't intend to. You can get up if you want, but if you're late it won't be my fault," Hermione answered moving away.

A huge sigh erupted from Blaise as he hazily sat up, "You are a very difficult woman. Why won't anyone just let me sleep?" he asked rubbing his eyes.

Hermione turned away and whispered under her breath, "Lazy ass."

"Hey, I heard that! I might still be asleep, but I'm not deaf," an indignated Blaise responded.

"Well, that's good to know for future referances," Hermione shot back sitting down by him.

"Smart ass," Blaise said with a smirk only receiving a sideways glance from Hermione.

They sat there for a few minutes, staring at the fire. Their revered calmness was broken, though, by heavy footsteps coming from Draco's room. He made his way over to them and sat down. They continued to sit there staring at the fire when Draco asked Blaise, "When are you going to get your lazy ass in the shower? You're going to be late."

Another sigh came from Blaise as he stood up and regretfully made his way towards Draco's room, "Fine nagging woman, I will see you in the Great Hall. Now shoo, I wouldn't want _you_ to be late."

"Suit yourself," Hermione said standing up with Draco by her side.

They made their way into the hallway as Hermione said, "I wanted to thank you, you know, about yesterday."

Draco looked at her and answered simply, "You don't have to. I told you we were going to be there for you. There's nothing more to be said."

Hermione nodded at him and kept on walking. As they entered the Great Hall they separated into different directions, Hermione to the Gryffindor table, Draco to the Slytherin one. Hermione sat down by Harry, not saying a word.

"Hermione, why is it that you always seem to come in with that meddling ass?" Harry asked.

"Harry, has it ever occured to you that we always walk in at the same time because we are forced to live together?" Hermione asked.

"I suppose, but I still don't like you hanging around him."

Hermione shook her head and stared down at her plate. The dismissal bell rang and Hermione quickly slung her bag onto her back. She walked quickly out the Great Hall and made her way to the dungeons. Profesor Snape, as usual, made his dramatic entrance late, his robes billowing beside him.

No words needed to be said as the instructions magically appeared on the board infront of the class room. Hermione walked quietly and dilligently and in twenty minutes found herself done with her potion. She walked to the front of the room and placed the vial on her Professor's desk.

"I'm done Professor," Hermione informed Snape.

"It would seem so," Severus Snape drawled.

Hermione placed the vial down and was about to turn around and walk out of the room when she felt a pressure on her hand. She looked down and found a potions vial filled with yellow liquid on it. She raised an eyebrow questioningly at her professor.

"It would be best if you got more sleep. Maybe then your eyes wouldn't seem so bloodshot," he quietly whispered.

Hermione looked down at the potion than back at him and nodded. She made her way out of the class room and decided she was going to her room and get a quill she had forgotten. As she got to her door she found none other than Ginny Weasley waiting for her.

Hermione plastered a fake smile on and asked, "Ginny, what are you doing here?"

Ginny looked back at Hermione with a cold exterior and said, "The question is, what are you doing hanging around Malfoy and Zabini?"

Hermione was taken aback and asked, "What are you talking about?"

It seemed that that small sentence unleashed the closely clustured feelings Ginny had been nurturing, "What I mean is, what the hell are you doing betraying my brother and Harry. What I mean is, what the fuck do you think you're doing staring at them in the Great Hall and walking around the campus with them. What I mean is, what in the world is your problem!"

Hermione took a small step back and countered, "Ginerva Weasley, hold your horses. Why are you attacking me with this? Why does it matter who I'm hanging around with? Since when is that your business?"

"Hermione, it became my business when you _betrayed_ my brother and his best friend. It became my business when you left all of us for them!"

Hermione sighed into her hands and calmly said, "Ginny, calm down. I didn't betray anyone, I didn't do anything. You just need to calm down."

Ginny took an accusing step forward and drawled, "How can you be so cynical? How can you do what you're doing to them, to us, the people that love you?"

"Ginny, what are you talking about? I haven't done anything," Hermione answered with a fake, tired smile.

"Hermione, they were the ones that took you in. They are your friends, how can you just abandon them for those damned Slytherins? I just don't understand," Ginny shot at her.

"Ginny, I am free to speak to whomever I choose to speak with. Neither you, nor Harry or Ron and choose for me. So just calm down okay, you're making a huge deal out of this when it doesn't matter."

"Hermione, this matters more than you obviously want to believe. You-you, I don't know who you are anymore," Ginny said.

Hermione shot her a perplexed look and asked, "Since when do you know me?"

"Hermione, I've seen you since my first year. I know you," Ginny desicively said.

"I'm sorry, but you don't know me. Your brother and Harry don't know me, how can you insinuate that when I never even hang out with you?" Hermione sincerely said.

"How can you say that? How can you say that the people that have known you forever don't know you?"

"Because you don't! You just know this insincere part that I show towards everyone," Hermione countered.

"Fuck you! We know you better than anyone, if you want to fool yourself, than be my guest!"

"What? No, fuck you! You don't know me. You don't know anything about me. You don't know what I'm going through, or anything at all. HOW THE HELL DO YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO TELL ME WHO I CAN BE FRIENDS WITH AND WHO I CAN'T BE FRIENDS WITH.''

''YOUR LITTLE BUDDIES HAVE BEEN HARRY'S ENEMIES. THEY HAVE BEEN YOUR ENEMIES. HOW CAN YOU JUST FORGE THAT? HOW CAN YOU THINK IT'S OKAY TO BE FRIENDS WITH THEM WHEN THEY HAVE HATED YOU SINCE THEY FIRST SAW YOU?" Ginny shouted back.

"YOU DON'T KNOW THEM. DON'T FOOL YOURSELF AND THINK THAT YOU CAN EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND. I DON'T EVEN WANT TO TALK TO YOU, BELIEVE WHAT YOU WANT. THAT'S YOUR BUSINESS!''

Hermione was about to walk off when Ginny pulled her by the arm, "You betrayed them!"

"I did NOT betray anyone. Why the hell do you keep on saying that?"

"Those people hate Harry. They hate me and my brother, they hate _you_! They have shown it time and time again and the only ones that have defended you have been Harry and Ron. If you don't get that then I guess you're not as smart as everyone thought!"

"I can understand that Giny, but you are being an over-zealous little girl. Just leave me alone!"

"I AM NOT A LITTLE GIRL. YOU-YOU BITCH!"

''Ginny, just walk away!" Hermione warned.

"No, you think you're so damn special. Well, you're not, okay! I know you, everyone knows you! You're just a back stabbing little bitch!"

"YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME? YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME? GINERVA WEASLEY, IF YOU KNEW ME YOU WOULD'VE NOTICED THAT I HAVEN'T SLEPT OR EATEN IN DAYS. YOU WOULD'VE NOTICED THAT I CRY ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY. YOU WOULD'VE NOTICED THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN THE SAME FOR MONTHS. FOR FUCKING GOODNESS SAKES, YOU WOULD'VE NOTICED THAT MY PARENTS ARE DEAD!" Hermione finished in tears.

Ginny took a step back as if she had just been slapped. She opened her mouth and shut it again, the steam she had shown completely gone after hearing the shocking news.

"What, have nothing to say? Keep your mouth shut if you don't know what you're talking about. At least they noticed how I recoiled from everyone else. At least the saw me for who and what I am. At least they noticed. Don't you dare say anything to them either. If they were my friends they would know, but obviously they're not as you just so eloquently showed me!" Hermioe said walking away.

"Hermione, I-I'm sorry!" Ginny whispered into the empty hall.

Hermione cursed herself for showing such weakness in front of Ginny. She cursed herself for being so stupid. As she sat on the couch she barely felt the lithe figure sitting down next to her and pulling her into his lap. "Shh, Hermione. It's okay," Draco whispered.

Things, for that moment, weren't, though. Genocide had just been committed upon her life. Her world, she finally chose to acknowledge, was destroyed. Yes, Genocide didn't just occur by a great group of people. Genocide occured by only one person she loved, and truth be told, that had hurt more than she had ever imagined.

* * *

**I'm so sorry this one was took so long. I'm also sorry that it kind've sucked, but it was needed so that the story can move on from there. I hope you understand and review.**

**Love, **

**Aly!**


	8. Chapter Eight:Abyss!

Broken!

Chapter Eight:Abyss!

_Recap:_Things, for that moment, weren't, though. Genocide had just been committed upon her life. Her world, she finally chose to acknowledge, was destroyed. Yes, Genocide didn't just occur by a great group of people. Genocide occured by only one person she loved, and truth be told, that had hurt more than she had ever imagined.

It's quite amazing how, at at least one point in our lives, we must all fight a dark abyss that seems to call to us. The strength it takes to utter a whisper of redemption and choose to break apart from the black encasement that surrounds us is one that could rival that of Hercules. The decision which we are forced to make of wether to give in and loose ourselves, the pain and the hurt, the burning that never seems to stop and let it all go, become numb, to take on forever a feeling of apathy, or break the folds that surround us and fight to not break, to keep the fire burning so that one day you can be the one to douse it is the one decision that can either save you or loose you.

To either let out one last sigh and drown in your own darkness or push and hurt in an unimaginable way so that one day you can pull back together is the most significant choice we must ever make. To finally realize that we didn't weave the thread of life, but are merely a single strand that could break at any moment, is the single most important realization we must ever make. Destiny exists for a reason, but it can only take you so far, then it's you who must carry on. To take destiny into one's own hands and choose to smash the walls of the never-ending abyss is the only choice, that in the end, really matters.

As Hermione pulled herself up and away from the arms of Draco Malfoy a decision had been made. The tears suddenly stopped and the pityful eyes turned stony. She gathered her utensils together and smoothed down her robes. She brought a shaking hand to her cheeks and wiped away the final tears that dropped from her eyes. She turned and looked at Draco, who sat on the couch looking up at her and uttered, "Thank you."

She walked out into the hall of Hogwarts silent as a ghost. The grounds were desolate, all of Hogwarts' students in classes, as she made her way down the hill to the lake. She sat on a stone bench and stared out at the shimmering water that was never chromotone. She stared at the reflections as the sun hit the surface and transpired below. She was so intent in her observations that she barely felt another figure sit next to her. Her attention was only taken when she felt something hard being placed on her lap.

"You might find that single book can change your life. I thought maybe you would want to read it," Severus Snape said as he too stared out into the distance.

Hermione looked down at her lap and then at the man sitting next to her, "It's all an illusion."

"What would that be, Miss Granger," Severus Snape questioned.

"That," Hermione said, indicating with her head the water. "The beauty of that which everyone seems to find so alluring, it's all an illusion."

"Maybe sometimes an illusion is better than reality," Snape remarked.

"Everyone seems so keen on keeping those temporary stupidities alive when all they do is fool you into thinking something is beautiful, when in fact it is nothing," Hermione said.

"And why would you say that, may I ask," asked the Potions' Master.

"Everyone seems to think that this is it, these shimmering lights, the smiles, the laughter. Everything is just temporary, and yet no one seems to understand."

"Maybe it is better to live life by the moment and choose to think that this _is_ it. Maybe these people are more brilliant than you give them credit for," he said.

"What's the point of living a lie? What's the point of living life, if there's nothing there?" Hermione asked looking sideways at her professor.

"The point of living life is choosing to live, Miss Granger. Not worrying about what comes next, but living the moments thrusted upon us."

"What, when children are starving? When people are dying everyday because we choose not to help? When children are being prostituted by their own fathers, because their doesn't seem to be any more paper they can give someone to obtain food? Is that professor, the moments that you are talking about?"

"Miss Granger, that's the point. By living you can choose to help, you can choose to lead."

"The point is, Professor, that whatever I do will amount to nothing. For every child I feed there will be a thousand more with hungry mouths. I am only one in a world were greed matters more than a life. What's the point of living that?" Hermione snidely asked.

"You have grown up too quickly, don't let that give you nothing to believe. Don't think that you're the only one that feels this way, Miss Granger. You're only as alone as you choose to be."

"I'm not playing the victim, Professor. I don't want to be everything to everyone, all I want is an answer. Why are we here if it will only last a second in comparison with time itself? Why is it that we were thrusted into this position when God-all-Mighty could do everything to save us?"

"God doesn't interfere. Everything that has been done has been done by us, and it can only be fixed by us. Don't blame the situations we live on Him, it wasn't His fault."

Professor Snape stood up and walked away, he took a few steps forward then stopped, "Remember, Miss Granger, you are as alone as you choose to be."

Hermione too stood up and made her way to the Great Hall. She sat in her regular seat and listened to the regular chatting. She caught the desperate looks a red-headed girl sent her, but turned away as if nothing had happened. She saw and listened, but never felt. She smiled when something was said to her, but she never knew what had been said.

She finished her meal and left unceremoneously. She made her way to her dormitory and sat infront of the fire. Images of her life when things used to be so simplistic flashed through her mind, and with everyone her heart shrunk a little more. She looked up as she heard the door opened and followed with her eyes the two figures that made their way towards her. Both sat on either side of her and all three of them stared at the fire.

"What's the point of living?" Hermione asked to no one in particular.

Blaise looked at her and asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Everyone cares so much about life, but the truth is that none of this will ever last, so what's the point of living a lie? What's the point of living an illusion of happiness that will never really be reached?"

"That questioned can only be answered by you. Maybe it'll be living for what you have always wanted. Family, a career, and love...happiness." Blaise finished looking back at the fire.

"I don't believe it exists. I don't believe love, happiness, or life itself exists. Love is only a feeling we make ourselves believe, like romanticism. Happiness is never reached, you may have it for a moment, but it will never last. And life, if there's no point in being here, then I don't belive there's any point in life. If there's no point in it, then it doesn't exist, it's pure logic."

"Living is choosing to fight the abyss that will want to claim you. It's choosing to break away from the numbness and choosing to take in the pain as well as the good times. It's choosing not to be like you," Draco quietly said.

Blaised urgently looked up and asked, "Draco, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Look at her. She's given in, she's becoming a fucking zombie," standing up Draco looked down on Hermione, "I thought you were stronger than that. I thought you were better; you're fucking pitiful."

"Am I pitiful? Well, at least I choose to accept the fact that there's nothing to live for," Hermione calmly said, still looking at the fire.

Draco violantly pulled her up by her shoulders and whispered, "Hermione, if there was nothing to live for, then we wouldn't be here. Be tough enough to admit it, but don't you dare fucking say anything to us. Compared to us, you are nothing."

"Give me one good reason why I should care. Give me one good reason why I should fight this fucking thing that is eating me inside," Hermione pleaded, desperation in her eyes.

"You,'' Draco said letting go of her.

"I am nothing. I am _nothing_," Hermione said looking up at him.

"Hermione..," Blaise said, looking at her.

"No, let her talk, Blaise. Let her make excuses for her weakness," Draco said, with cold eyes, looking down on her.

"Why the hell should I live when I couldn't save the people that I loved most? Why the _fuck_ should I live when those who deserved to live are six feet underground? Why should I live when they're the ones that should be here, not me?" Hermione asked, with dry eyes.

"So that one day, when you see them again, you can tell them that you chose to _live_. That you chose to be what they wanted you to be. That you chose, for them, to be _brave!_" Draco said.

Hermione let go and put her head in her hands, "_They_ should be here, not me. Not _me!_"

"Hermione, you cannot sell what is not owned. Don't you dare try to sell me that bullshit. You damn well know that they would want you to live! Why can't you just be thankful?" Blaise finally said.

"Be thankful, be thankful for what? For having the most important people in my life ripped apart from me?" Hermione asked, her shoulders shaking.

"Be thankful for the fact that they at least they wanted you to be happy. Be thankful for the fact that they at least _cared_!" Draco stonily said.

"But I don't want to be thankful. I _don't _want to be thankful," Hermione said, unbidden sobs erupting from her body.

"Hermione," Draco said making her look up at him, tears running down her face, "be thankful for us. Be thankful, because we can't be!"

Hermione looked up at them and whispered, "I _am_, I just don't deserve to be."

With those last spoken words, Hermione walked into her room. She threw herself upon her bed and cried into her pillows. She looked up at the sky and whispered, "I _am_, please forgive me!"

With that, she unconsciously made a crack on her abyss. With that, Hermione unconsciously made the most important decision of her life. With that, Hermione chose to take her destiny into her hands. With that, Hermione unconsciously chose to _live!_

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**Thank you so much for reading. I hope you liked it. Please REVIEW, and I just wanted to tell people that the exclamation marks were just put there, and nothing was really meant by them. I'm not overly cheery or anything. Anyway, again, please review and know that I am so happy to know that this is touching so many of you guys, because that's what has always been intended.**

**Love,**

**Aly!**


	9. Chapter Nine:Stoicism!

Broken!

Chapter Nine:Stoicism!

_Recap:_With that, she unconsciously made a crack on her abyss. With that, Hermione unconsciously made the most important decision of her life. With that, Hermione chose to take her destiny into her hands. With that, Hermione unconsciously chose to _live!_

As members of the human population, by some unknown reason we're all programed the same. We are meant to be the most intelligent creatures on this planet, yet we do not think. We allow ourselves to believe that one can be okay, even when we know it isn't so. We allow ourselves to make someone who needs everything to survive to become Stoical, detached. And as we do so, we force the needy to give rather than receive. We force the ones that so badly need comprehension to accomondate to our needs and to sit back in the whirl of confusion that tends to encircle our lives.

Stoicism we reward and commend, and force. It seems incredible that it is by the grace of others that one has to swallow the tears and let them flood and drown only in privacy. To live the time in which the only thing that can be slightly carthardic are tears, those that cannot be shed in the presence of the help we need, enforces one to deliquesce and fall apart in the privacy that becomes to be loathed. To choose to live is implicit, but to actually carry out the task becomes the hardest thing ever imaginable. To both be forced to become stoical and to actually live life can be, in fact, the hardest thing imaginable indeed.

No one was to know more about this than Hermione Granger. As she dragged her body away from the damp sheets underneath her, Hermione felt something odd, something never felt before. As she slowly dragged her begrudged body into the bathroom Hermione realized that somehow things were better, if only slightly. As she showered, brushed her teeth, and got dressed Hermione Granger took steps that for some reason seemed more important than ever before.

She made her way to the Great Hall alone, stonily, pulling every pigment of her bravery together. As she opened the doors she felt herself pull in a strangled gasp, engulfed in all the aimless chatter that took up the entire area. She walked to her usual spot and sat where she usually sat, nothing, she reminded herself, should be any different. No one noticed anything, it wasn't for them to start noticing now.

"Mione, you should eat something," Ron said through a full mouth.

"It's okay, Ron. I'm fine," Hermione answered insie truly grateful that at last someone noticed, that someone cared.

"Suit yourself," Ron said dismissing her and turning back to the conversation he had been involved in.

"Hermione, we really need you to help us with our homework. Potions is getting to be a real pain in the ass," Harry said, unintentionally drawing an invisible knife upon the wound he had helped to inflict.

Hermione stiffened, the gratitude she had felt long gone as she understood that nothing would ever be the same, "Yeah, I guess I should."

"Not guess, actually help us. That snarky git is getting worse by the minute," Ron said snickering.

Harry nodded and continued in his persuasion, "We're dying with all the damn homework 'Professor el Bat' has been given us lately. We really, really need the help you used to give us, you know?"

"Yeah, okay. I'll see if I can go to the Common Room sometime this week," she said, once again looking at the food infront of her that brought no desire.

"Great," Harry ended, and to show his finality, he turned and spoke to Seamus, as he decided no more persuasion was needed.

For that one exact moment in which both of her former best friends turned away from her, and as she caught the cold glances of the two Slytherins she felt utterly used. She felt shame and anger surge through her body. She wanted to yell out, to get them to notice, but just as that moment passed that shame was forced down quickly before even the red headed girl that was watching her with unnerving intensity to notice.

She stood up without a word and made her way to the Trasfiguration class room and sat on her seat in the empty class room. She forced her gaze onto the desk and did not look around, and such was her concetration she was startled out of her skin when she heard Professor McGonagall say, "Hermione, dear, how are you?"

"I'm fine Professor," she responded looking at the old woman in true clarity for the first time. She saw the tired lines that encircled her eyes and mouth. She noticed the way her eyes that had seen too much in her life time looked upon her with unmasked pity. She saw how her unusual hands faltered for the first time since she had ever met her, she saw for a mere moment they were ordinary and all the gracefulness, all the magic those hands that had captured her attention since the first time the transformed an object, was gone. Behind, for that spere second, were the ackwardly ordinary hands of nothing, but a woman.

"My dear," she began but cut off instantly, "W-would you like to help me place goblets on all the desks?"

"Sure, Professor," Hermione agreed, knowing that the woman that watched her had stopped herself just in time before truly seeing the mess that her prized student had become. She acknowledged and accepted, but inside she wanted to scream out, _'Notice. Ask me, talk to me. Don't just turn away!'_

But as Hermione walked around the room placing goblets on every table she knew that would never happen. And as students poured in from the outside and she caught the reproachful gazes from Blaise and Draco she knew the were the only ones that would ever know. They were the only ones that would ever really understand, and she knew that no matter what she would never, _could never_, drive them away.

"Now class, today we will be transforming those goblets infront of you into geicos. Please use your wands and utter..." and so the class continued. Hermione did everything perfectly and was as they all wanted her to be. She was like she had always been and no one noticed the desperation in her eyes.

Hermione found herself infront of the fire once again. As the two seats beside her sunk under the weight of the two new visitors it seemed funny how this seemed to be a customary ritual now, "Have you changed your mind, yet?"

Hermione looked at Blaise, the warmer of the two men beside her and simply answered, "Yeah, I've changed my mind."

"Liar," Draco said looking at the fire.

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked not looking at him.

"You've decided to live, but you still haven't change your mind."

"What?" Hermione asked resigning herself to look at him.

"You don't think you deserve it," Blaise said. Hermione shot him a look that said, _traitor_, but for the first time truly marked him as her friend. "Come on, even I noticed it."

"Well, what do you want from me? Do you just expect me to accept everything so quickly?"

"No, we expect you to understand it wasn't your fault. We want you to understand you have a right to be happy," Draco finished looking at her as well.

"Draco," she said rubbing her hands across her face, "it's not easy."

"I know, belive me. I know it's not going to happen quickly, but it has to happen."

"Well, come on. Even you know that what I said was right. If I would've been there things might've been different," Hermione said her eyes swelling.

"Did you hear that? You said _might've_, and I know you don't believe that for one second. It wouldn't of changed a thing, if you were there you would've died right along with them. If you were there everything would've still happened. Destiny claimed them, and not even you can battle Destiny," Draco said.

"I don't belive in Destiny," Hermione uttered.

"Well, that makes a whole bunch of shit you don't believe in, doesn't it?" Blaise stated.

"I should've been there," she said, a tear slidding down her cheek.

"It wouldn't have changed anything, Hermione," Draco said severely.

"I should've been there, I should've been there," Hermione said once again.

"Hermione, they died, that doesn't mean you have to die along with them," Blaise said looking at her.

"You don't understand, I know something would've been different if I would've been there. Please understand, I can't believe in something that can't be proven, because I know I could've done something," she pleaded more tears gushing from her eyes.

"Hermione if you don't belive in Destiny because it can't be proven then you can't believe in what you're saying either. Hermione, accept it. Please, Hermione," Draco said, an almost pleading edge to his voice.

Hermione choked on her tears as she said, "It hurts so much to accept it, and I don't want to. That's the truth. I don't want to accept that I wouldn't have changed anything. I refuse to believe that everything would've been the same even if I was present. I _can't_ belive that, don't you understand?"

"Hermione, if you have nothing to believe in than what do you want of life? You can't lead it like this, don't _you_ understand?" Blaised asked standing above her.

"Why do you _insist_ on me beliveing on something? Why is that so goddamned important?"

"Because Hermione, if you have nothing to believe in then there really is not point in living. Because, becuase you just do. Hermione, this is the start. You're going to heal, but it will take so much time. You need to belive, you desperately need to believe in something," Draco said combing his hair with and exasperated hand.

He was going to continue his rant when Hermione softly said, "I belive in you two."

Draco stopped in his track, as he had gotten up and was pacing and smiled such a contagious smile through his worry that Hermione and Blaise couldn't help but smile back. Even through the tears, Hermione couldn't help but smile a smile that was real.

"Okay, we'll take it from there," Draco said still smiling.

"Okay, we'll take it from there," Hermione echoed.

Blaise breathed a happy sigh and said, "We need ice cream."

For that night in time, as they sat infront of the fire with a pillows and blankets eating ice cream they were nothing more than kids. The woman grown up too quickly and then forced men left for the night and in their places were left the children that deserved to be there. Suddenly all the stoicism in the world was gone from Hermione, Blaise, and Draco. Nothing was left and nothing existed for that moment, only three children who in the morning would be very sick. And for that moment that was enough.

* * *

**Hello everyone and I want to thank you for all the amazing reviews. I will, once again, ask you to review and to leave your comments. So many of you have reached my heart when you told me how my story has really touched you. Someone commented that they thought I took weeks writing a chapter, but the truth is this takes me less than an hour such is my pure devotion to it. I understand what I'm talking about and appreciate more than any of you know the wonderful messages. I want to thank you again, and know that there is still alot more for me to write. Someone said that they thought the last chapter was the last, but the thing is that I like to end my chapters with a decisive note, but there is still so much more left to this story. Please stay tuned.**

**Love,**

**Aly!**


	10. Chapter Ten:Shattered Utopia!

Broken!

Chapter Ten:Shattered Utopia!

_Recap:_For that night in time, as they sat in front of the fire with pillows and blankets eating ice cream they were nothing more than kids. The woman grown up too quickly and the forced men left for the night and in their places were left the children that deserved to be there. Suddenly all the stoicism in the world was gone from Hermione, Blaise, and Draco. Nothing was left and nothing existed for that moment, only three children who in the morning would be very sick. And for that moment that was enough.

As each of us grow we are all taught about Utopia. We are taught that it is the one place that each of us wants; a place that has nothing more than perfection. We are made to believe Utopia is deserved by each and everyone of us and we strive to reach a state in which Utopia is more than just an imaginary place, but in fact, an imaginary word. We struggle and admire those whom, to us, have reached the state that everyone so desperately wants to reach. We idolize in sheer illusioned stupidity those whom in our eyes are everything that we could ever hope to be. Yet, as we do so, we don't realize that what we want doesn't exist; we don't realize that those whom appear to be pure perfection are nothing more than mediocre beings struggling to make their facade firm.

The urge to be accepted when you are perceived as flawless becomes more, it becomes a yearning...an obsession. It is not forseen, though, that we imply that unnecessary pressure. It is not perceived that becuase of us, the judgemental, people are forced to become more than they are. If Utopia were to exist, as we all think we want, judgementalism wouldn't exist. Nor would idolization or anything related to that. If Utopia existed every single person on this Earth would not be a hypocrite. If Utopia existed equalism would be gratified and nothing more than that would be accepted. If Utopia existed none would become a mere facade. If only Utopia existed, but as it is, it is just an imaginary thing. As it was, Hermione Granger knew this very well.

Hermione sat up slowly with a pounding head-ache and a hurting stomach. She quietly and slowly stood up from in between the two peacefully sleeping forms. She looked down at her two companions and allowed herself a quiet smile as she made her way groggly to the bathroom. She brushed her teeth and made her way into the shower allowing herself to remember the occurances from last night. As the water pounded her tight muscles she shook her head at the purely unbelievable things that had occured to her in past couple of weeks.

It seemed like a cruel joke to be in such pain and yet still have the internal happiness of knowing that you're not alone. Nothing made sense any more. What her life had become seemed like a game being played by cruel children that were gleeful everytime she suffered. Her wall was slowly caving in as she allowed herself to acknowledge the fact that she was nothing more than a fragile human being who made others believe otherwise. As she washed herself she remembered the funeral and the ghastly faces of both her parents and of the heart-wrenching pain she had suffered at finally seeing that everything she had been told was true. Her eyes clouded then were emptied as salty tears blended with water.

She finished her shower and dressed in silence and finally walked into the living room where Draco and Blaise rested. She took one final moment to look at then at their most vulnerable state before she bent down and gently shook the two sleeping figures. As both slowly woke up she whispered softly into their ears, "You both need to get ready. I'll see you later today."

She didn't wait for response as she made her way out of their living quarters with her bag on her shoulder. She slipped into the Great Hall and nodded 'hello's' to those who chose to acknowledge her, but kept her eyes fixed away from the read-headed girl who in quiet desperation wanted nothing more than to apologize. She sat in her regular seat and picked as her food before she finally left to her first class. As luck would have it her first class for the day was Flying, the one subject which she held no regard for.

"Class, today we will all be doing drills. You all will race against each other and go from the Transfiguration tower to the Herbology room where on the roof there will be some handkercheifs which you must retreive," Madam Hooch said.

Every student in the class took a broom from the floor and settled on a regarded lane. Hermione took her place on one of the lanes and waited for someone to come and race with her. As the person finally aproached it was no one else but Draco Malfoy who stood on the reciding lane. He neither nodded nor gave any indication of acknowledgement. That was to be expected and as Hermione looked at him all that was going through her mind was, '_Freaking great. I not only get to lose, but to the one person everyone in this school thinks i hate...great!_'

"On your marks, get set...go," Madam Hooch yelled as she blew her whistle.

Hermione found herself gaining speed as she flew from the Transfiguration tower towards the Herbology room. As she got nearer it was easy to see that Draco was going to win. A red movement suddenly caught her eye and she saw a red handkercheif billowing in the morning breeze. Her eyes suddenly clouded with memories as she began to see pictures of her father's handkercheif which he carried everywhere he went. It had been a gift from her to him when she was a mere five years old, nothing had meant more to him except her mother and herself.

"HERMIONE, WATCH OUT!" was all she heard before she found herself in lightning speed on the ground with a tall form on top of her.

"Hermione, Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked as terror made his way into his gaze.

Hermione looked at him diconcertedly before she nodded vaguely. She felt herself being set on her feet and heard the running steps of Madam Hooch as she asked over and over what had happened and how she felt. The truth was Hermione didn't know what had happened and she didn't know why it was her heart felt heavier than it had since she had found out about her parent's death.

The class continued on uneventfully after that with only the worried glance from Draco and Blaise no one seemed to notice. They were dismissed and Hermione found herself making her way quickly to her next class glancing at her feet. In her hurry she felt herself bump into another person, but neither stopped nor said sorry, not even when the next taunting words were heard.

"Well, would you look at that! The Mudblood almost got herself killed and now she's on a rampage. Fucking pathetic," said a Slytherine sixth year.

He had no way of knowing that his words had been enough to trigger the feared rage of Draco Malfoy. He had no explanation as to what was happening as he felt himself being thrown against the wall with Draco Malfoy's strong hands holding him a foot above ground. He had no idea what was happening as he heard the bellowed words from Draco, "DON'T YOU EVER FUCKING DARE SAY ANYTHING LIKE THAT AGAIN. HOW THE HELL DARE YOU EVEN JUDGE ANYONE WHEN YOU'RE SO FUCKING STUPID YOU CAN'T EVEN PUT UR DAMN CLOTHES ON RIGHT!"

Blaise came running as he heard the angry yells coming from his best friend. He sprinted across the grounds and was given easy access as it was known by all that he was the only one that could ever calm down the enraged Malfoy. It was known by all that he was the only one immune to the savage wrath of an angry Draco Malfoy.

He reached Draco panting and pulled him off the other scared boy. He pushed him against the opposite wall and quickly said, "Draco, calm down. Stop this right now or you'll get in more trouble than you've ever been in."

"Did you not hear what he said? That idiot over there thinks he's so great when he's nothing but shit that no one wants to get near," Draco spat trying to find a way from Blaise's grasp.

Blaise slammed Draco against the wall again as he got right up close to his face and dangerously whispered, "Draco, calm the hell down. I'm telling you right now, man, he's not worth it. Draco, come on!"

Draco took in a shuddering breath as he pushed Blaise away from him and ran a hand through his disheveled hair, "Fine...fine."

He looked across the hall and found Hermione staring at him with wide eyes, he could only follow with his eyes as he saw her motion for them to follow her to the abandoned girl's bathroom across the hall. He nodded and stepped up to move when he heard his class mate stand up. He spun around and launched a punch at his face and as he heard the cracking of bones pulled back in satisfaction and made his way from all the surrounding students who moved away from him as he stepped forward.

Blaise only followed him after he gave Draco a final push of frustration as they made their way towars the bathroom where Hermione was waiting for them. They entered casually and closed the door after making sure no one had seen them come in. Both looked at Hermione who was leaning against the opposite wall, "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Excuse me?" came Draco's response.

"I said, what were you thinking? You can't just do that shit. People can't know about our friendship Draco and I think it pretty much gives it away when you beat up someone that calls me exactly what you used to call me. They only try to please your sorry ass everytime they make one of those remarks, don't you understand?" Hermione heatedly asked.

Draco looked back at Blaise for support but only received a disaprooving look. He heaved a sigh into his hands as he asked, "You agree with her too?"

"Yes. You can't pull shit like that and I'm not just saying that because I don't want people to know, because I don't care if they know or not. I'm saying it because you damn well know if you get into any more fights you're going to get kicked out of Hogwarts. You need to control your damn anger," Blaise said looking at his friend.

"Oh, control my anger. Aren't you one to talk Mr. I-beat-up-a-guy-for-going-in-my-room," Draco said smirking at Blaise.

"That's besides the point. No one can know about this, especially not Harry and Ron," Hermione said looking disaproovingly at both of them.

"Why do you care so much if they know?" Blaise questioned.

"Because they will feel betrayed, Blaise, that's why. I can't do that to them," Hermione said looking at her feet.

"You can't do _what_ to them? You're not doing anything and even if you were it would be justified after all they did was ignore your for the past freaking _year_," Draco said shooting her an exasperated glance.

"They didn't do it on purpose and you know it. We drifted apart, it can happen to anyone," Hermione uttered still not looking up.

"How can you do that? You're so abstruse, I sware," Draco said running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, well, that's me," Hermione said.

"Stop doing that, damn it. Stop being so damn acidolous when yesterday you were just yourself," Draco pressed on.

Hermione allowed herself a shuddering sigh as she slipped to the floor with her face in her hands. She looked up at them and said, "Draco, I can't do this. I just can't. I don't know why, I don't know what it is, but by God it hurts so much."

"I know," Draco said.

"No, you don't, though. It's worse now when it's supposed to be better. It's not supposed to be this way. I'm supposed the be happier with each passing day. Why the hell am I going through this?" Hermione asked placing her face in her hands once again.

"Hermione, it's going to get worse before it gets better, you need to know that. You also need to know that we're here to help you, but to do that you have to help us," Blaise said gently making his way to her.

Hermione pulled him to her in a startling hug as she broke down in tears. She sobbed on his shoulders and he held her as she shook in his arms. Blaise glanced at Draco who had made his way to them as well.

"Hermione, you have to understand that you have to make those little moments, like what he had yesterday, count more than the pain, the hurt. You have to make them count because they're what's going to get you through this. You can't give up, it's not an option,'' Draco finished.

Hermione looked up at him and said through tears, "I can't! I'm not strong enough. I'm just a simple mortal, I'm weak. I'm not the perfect person everyone seems to think I am. I'm not strong or flawless! I'm just hurting more than I thought possible and I just _can't_ do it...I can't, okay?"

"No, it's not okay! You are strong, you're stronger than Blaise and I put together, that's why we need _you_. If you're not strong enough than Blaise and I combined are enough, do you understand _that?"_

Hermione shot to her feet and just shook her head. "I can't...I just...I have to go," she said as she ran out the bathroom and across the grounds.

Blaise and Draco ran after her but stopped as they saw her make her way away from them. They stood staring out as she ran as the broken testament of Utopia knowing as she did that she would come back to them. They stood staring as she ran knowing that when she came back she would be back just a little stronger ready to make ammends. As they stared out they knew that Utopia didn't exist, but if they pulled together they would have something better than Utopia could ever offer. Perfection doesn't exist, but friendship does and as they saw Hermione run and clear her mind of all the hurt and the pain they knew she would always come back, just as both of them would always come back to her.

* * *

**Hello everyone and thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! I ask for you guys to review and tell me what you think. I once again want to remind you that there is still much more to this story and I say so because I know that every last paragraph I write has a finality that would resemble that of an ending, but it's not. The ending will be much better, I promise. Anyway, thank you once again for reading and REVIEW! **

**Love,**

**Aly!**


	11. Chapter Eleven:Euphoria!

Broken!

Chapter Eleven: Euphoria!

_Recap:_Blaise and Draco ran after her but stopped as they saw her make her way away from them. They stood staring out as she ran as the broken testament of Utopia knowing as she did that she would come back to them. They stood staring as she ran knowing that when she came back she would be back just a little stronger ready to make ammends. As they stared out they knew that Utopia didn't exist, but if they pulled together they would have something better than Utopia could ever offer. Perfection doesn't exist, but friendship does and as they saw Hermione run and clear her mind of all the hurt and the pain they knew she would always come back, just as both of them would always come back to her.

In a way, it is human nature to want to escape from the things that hurt us. In a way it is natural for human beings to put up a wall and guard themselves from the pain that life can bring by placing other things infront of the pain to try and hide it. It is nothing more than the fleeing panick we feel when we cannot control a situation, where we cannot be the type of person society commends, that causes us to look for something that can make us feel euphoria, so as to not think of all that is wrong in our lives. It seems to be part of human nature to try to pull those objects or ideas together so as to feel euphoric, so as to not feel the pain. As it is, it's also part of human nature to be rash and not look at all parts of the euphoric caussant before knowing that instead of being cathartic, it can be one of the worst things to cross our path.

Because we are the way we are, it's us who help deliver the last and most painful punch which signals the failure upon trying escape the series of events that cause for us to lose focus. It is because we are the way we are that we don't realize that what we are doing to ourselves is harmful until it may be too late. Euphoria seems to be something we all desire in a way, but sometimes it is obtained by the means that never meant to give. No matter how much we want something, it can't be denied when we are the ones causing more of the pain. No matter how much the desire is, there comes a point in which nothing is hid and everything is seen. It is because we are the way we are, though, that sometimes we manage to catch ourselves in time, before we put ourselves through more of the living hell that sometimes we are forced to live.

For the past two and a half weeks Hermione Granger had been running more than she had ever run in her entire life. She had run into exhaustion and collapsed into unfit sleep that brought back the nightmare she chose to ignore while awake. She had found a way in which nothing seemed to matter but the next step and she refused to give it up. Hermione Granger, for once in her life, was being irrational. For once in her life, Hermione seemed to make the wrong decision and it was only Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini who seemed to notice.

They had watched every day of those two weeks and saw how every one of those days Hermione Granger ran for hours at a time. They watched as Hermione dragged her tired body to her dormitory without eating and fall into her unmade bed. They had watched and worried, they had noticed the hollow eyes that were emptier than ever before, but nothing was compared to the screams they were forced to listen to every night for the past two and a half weeks. Nothing was compared to the anguished cries that eminated from Hermione's room every night, nor the pain filled face of the young woman they were forced to wake each night while silent, uncried tears slid down her face. Though all this happened, it seemed nothing mattered to Hermione as she pushed her body every day to forget the memories, to forget the pain.

Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini sat on the stands in the Quidditch Pitch watching as Hermione made her way around the fielf for the fourteenth time. Neither said a word, nothing was needed to be said as both knew the worry that transpassed between the two. They were immobile, waiting and watching, not letting Hermione out of their sight. Something was bound to happen and they would not let it go by unnoticed. They would not let Hermione kill herself whilst trying to drown the feelings that needed to be expressed. They _couldn't_ let Hermione run her body to death.

Hermione knew both Draco and Blaise had been watching her since she had started running. In a way she was glad they were there, in a way supporting her even if no words were spoken. She knew they were worried, she could see it every night when they came running into her room and shook her awake. As much as Hermione hated to make them feel worry for her, she couldn't stop. Everything she had been feeling for the past month left her body when she took the first step that would carry her for the nex hours. All of the running she put her body through made her forget everything she so desperately wanted to know nothing of. She knew that it wasn't healthy, she wasn't stupid, but she couldn't stop. She could not make herself go back to the routine she had been carrying even as she felt her body waste away a little more each and every day.

"HERMIONE!" came the strangled cries from the stands as Hermione collapsed on the hard ground. Everything spun uncontrollably and eventually turned black. She hadn't fainted, she was still conscious, but her body refused to get up. As she heard the bounding steps that brought the two men closer to her she silently hoped they weren't too worried.

"Hermione, Hermione," Blaise cried as he put her limp body on his lap. "Hermione, Hermione wake up. Please don't do this to us," Blaise begged as he shook her tired body.

Hermione forced her eyes open, fighting the fog, and focused them on the worried face of Blaise Zabini. He let out a shuddering breath as he took her body in a bone-breaking hug and let out a loud sob. She had never seen Blaise cry, she hadn't ever really believed someone like Blaise cried. He was always so strong, he was always Draco's pillar. As she hugged back the sobbing form she suddenly understood she had hurt him in a way only she and Draco could ever do.

"Blaise, I'm fine. Blaise, look at me. It's okay," Hermione whispered as she took Blaise's face into her hands.

"Oh, Hermione. My God, you-you...don't ever do that again. Don't you ever do that again," Blaise said as he regained some composure and pulled himself away from her.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I'm fine, though. Nothing is wrong," Hermione said.

"That's a lie, if I ever heard one," Draco said beside Blaise gaining Hermione's attention for the first time.

"Draco, I'm fine. Look at me, nothing is wrong.''

Draco's eyes were stormy grey and his face contained a frown and a furrowed forehead, "Look at you? I am looking at you! How can you say you're fine when you have lost more than ten pounds in the last three weeks? How can you say you're fine when you just collapsed in front of us?"

Hermione opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say. She looked at him and then looked down at her hands, "I'm okay...really."

"Oh, for the love of God, Hermione! You're the most spurious person I've ever met," Blaise angrily spat in her direction.

"What are you talking about, Blaise? I'm not spurious at all, I'm fine, I told you," Hermione said taken aback by Blaise's turn of mood.

Blaise grabbed her shoulders in sudden fury and shook her, "Tell me the freaking truth! What is wrong with you? Tell me, I want to help you. We want to help you, can't you see that? You're running until you can't even walk so don't you dare tell me you're okay. Tell me what's wrong, Hermione. We deserve to know. We deserve to help you!"

Hermione placed her head on her hands and let out a sigh. She couldn't fathom how these two individual knew more about her from the past month than her friends had known about her in all the years they had known her. She concider her options, she could either lie to them even though she knew they would know the instant it left her mouth or she could simply tell the truth. The latter option seemed more fitting at the moment, ''I'm just tired."

"We damn well know you're tired! We know you're abusing your body, but that's not what Blaise asked," Draco let out.

"Not that! I'm talking about feeling hopeless and helpless. I'm talking about the pain and everything that's been going on! I'm tired of everything that I'm living and this is the only way I can escape it. If this is the only way I can find then I'm going to take it, it's as simple as that," Hermione said looking at both of them in turn.

"That's pitiful, Hermione. You can't escape! You can run, but you can't hide. Ever heard of that proverb? If you're tired of crying then let me tell you some-"

"It's not just that," Hermione interrupted, pulling her hair in frustration. "It's not just the tears I'm tired of, even though it feels like I have an ocean inside of me. It's not just that, it's all these other emotions that I'm feeling. It's the all the emotions that are eating me up. It's all the stuff that is making me waste away."

"Hermione, what are you talking about?" Draco asked taking a breath to calm down.

Hermione pulled her hair again before errupting, "I'm talking about the anger! All this anger that I'm feeling, it's killing me. I can't take it anymore. I-I don't know what to do. I mean look at me, I'm crying again for the fucking millionth time! I'm not supposed to feel this way. It's unhealthy, it's not right."

"Oh, and running yourself to death is?" Blaise asked in uncontained anger.

"NO! I know it's not, but it makes me forget about it, don't you see? Those spare moments are blissful, those moments in which everything is forgotten are how I want to feel. Can't you understand that," Hermione asked in desperation.

"Hermione, we do. We understand, but you need to face that anger. You deserve to be angry at the people that killed your parents, it's okay to be mad," Draco stated looking at her.

"It's not just them, though!" Hermione cried,"I'm not just mad at them. I'm mad at Ron and Harry and m...and mom and dad! I'm mad at them and I can't help it! I'm so mad and I-I just can't help it."

Draco pulled Hermione's shuddering form onto his lap and whispered in her ear, "It's okay, Hermione. Let it out, tell us why you're mad."

"I'm mad because Harry and Ron didn't notice that I changed. They didn't notice that I was sad every day for the past year. I'm mad because they didn't do anything to help me when I would give my life to help them if they ever needed it! I'm mad at the people who killed my parents because they took them away from me! I hate them! My mother won't get to plan my wedding and my father won't get to see me graduate. I hate them because they took them away from me!" Hermioen cried, almost yelling it, while looking back and forth between the two.

"And your parents? Why are you mad at your parents?" Blaise quietly asked.

"Be-because they left me! I know it's irrational, but I'm mad because they were supposed to be here! They were supposed to be here for me! They promised they would never leave me because they knew I needed them. They promised they would always be there and now they aren't! I'm angry because I need them! I really do, I need my mom to console me and I need my dad to read books with me. I need them to be here for me, because I can't be here for myself! I'm just so angry! They were supposed to be here...they promised! They left me, they left me...they promised me-" Hermione cried, beating Draco's shoulder as tears made their way down her face.

"It's okay, Hermione. It's okay," Draco said soothingly embracing her small body.

"It's not, though. It's killing me, Draco. I sware to you that it's killing me," Hermione cried.

"Hermione, you're supposed to feel this! You're supposed to feel all of this and you're supposed to pull through it with our help! You can't just bury it beneath your running, forgetting for some minutes won't change anything," Blaise silently said.

"But I don't want to cry anymore. The running stops the crying and the memories and everything! I know if I push a little more there is nothing more but the next step. I don't want to feel anything else,'' Hermione said pulling away from Draco.

"Hermione, you can be angry, but in the end it will only affect you. You can decide to either waste away by your own bitterness or to go through the process and pull through successfully. Just know we're not going to let you do anything alone. Just know we'll always be here," Draco uttered.

"But it's so nice to forget...so nice," Hermione retorted.

"We know, Hermione. It's just like we said, though, it won't take the pain away," Blaise said.

"Why can't it!" Hermione asked looking at him with desperate eyes. "Why can't it?"

"Because only you can make the pain dissapear," Blaise said looking into her red eyes with a soft expression.

Hermione sighed loudly and cried into her hands. She couldn't hold the tears in anymore. She let them cascade down her cheeks feeling her heart become lighter as they dissapeared. She knew they were right. For the first time in weeks she allowed herself to think of her parents, and for the first time in weeks she allowed herself to mourn.

Draco and Blaise held her tenderly until she finally in a tired state asked them, "Will you please take me back to my room? I need to sleep."

Blaise silently picked her up and as they made their way to their dormitory Hermione's silet request tore the wall she had built up again a little lower, "Sleep with me?"

They took her to bed and both slept with her that night. For the first time in the past two weeks Hermione didn't have the nightmare that had been haunting her for days. To let out the steam she had been holding in quietly let go of the euphoria that she had felt. To allow herself to acknowledge her consorts had made the euphoria banish and reality to sink in. Though, just as Draco and Blaise had said, you can always run, but you can't hide. For that moment, though, Hermione Granger didn't want to hide. For that moment, Hermione Granger was at peace.

* * *

**Hello everyone, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. I truly enjoy writing this story and it truly is my work of art. I hope you guys review and tell me what you think. I want to say one thing, though, for one of my readers I apologize for the language, but the thing is that proper language isn't really a priority when you're trying to express your feelings. Again, I'm sorry about it and I hope you understand. Please review because I love to hear what you guys have to say! Thank you for reading.**

**Love,**

**Aly!**


	12. Chapter Twelve:Blind!

Broken!

Chapter Twelve:Blind!

_Recap:_They took her to bed and both slept with her that night. For the first time in the past two weeks Hermione didn't have the nightmare that had been haunting her for days. To let out the steam she had been holding in quietly let go of the euphoria that she had felt. To allow herself to acknowledge her consorts had made the euphoria banish and reality to sink in. Though, just as Draco and Blaise had said, you can always run, but you can't hide. For that moment, though, Hermione Granger didn't want to hide. For that moment, Hermione Granger was at peace.

As the days go by and the mind adopts an idea the object of such thing becomes more easly accostumed to, but never easier to accept. The moment in which a person makes the life-changing decicion to move on, one becomes in a way blind. A blindness in a sense upon which dramatic romanticism means nothing, and self preservation means everything. The moment in which we choose to do all that we can to save ourselves seems, at times, also be the moment upon which we choose to fail the ones that need us even as we need them. The momentary blindness that unenables us to see that beneath the coarse and tough exterior beats a heart broken in a thousand peices in resignation of being stepped on time after time.

There always seems to be a moment in which we choose to rise from a tragedy and lead a life that was stolen that at the same time may enable us to only gain strength from the pillars supporting us, even when they are slowly decaying all on their own. A moment that gives us imaginary strength that most always is taken away by the moment in which one of the pillars collapses, and leaves both a little more broken than before. No matter what, though, everything is felt unconsciously even if the mind won't allow for it to show when awake. The blindness is felt rather than seen, and the darkness, no matter what, envelopes us until the point in time when we choose to pull back the veil and see the reality. that though hard, is still truth. The inevitable point in time when sight is restored and the darkness turns to light, but as with everything, painstakingly, ever so slowly.

For two weeks Hermione had been able to sleep soundly again, but never without a momentary picture of one of her parents. In those two weeks, though, Hermione had chosen to allow herself to accept the fact that both her parents were dead. She had forced herself to feel their absence with the imaginary, sought after relief she hoped to gain. Her mind kept on pushing, even as her heart seemed to shrink. Yet, Hermione didn't feel helpless, if anything Hermione felt enpowered, impowered to move on given by the strength of the two men who every night for the past to weeks had slept next to her and given her the much needed warmth of a soul. Though, she still wasn't able to express her gratitude, she thanked them in her mind everytime a tear was wiped away by a pale man with blonde hair or one with chocolate brown eyes that gave her comfort she had never felt before. She thanked them and loved them with a love gained by the attentful trust they had gained from her.

She didn't wake up everyday with a smile on her face, she wouldn't allow so much hipocricy, but she did wake up each day with blooming hope of something better to come. She allowed herself to wake up hoping for the ache in her heart to lessen slightly even when deep down she knew her mourning wasn't even half-way done. Hermione, in a way, made herself be free with an nonexistant freedom she thought she had. Hermione Granger, for the first time in her life, forced her being to decieve her mind, never paying attention to the desperate voice in her heart.

Yes, for the past two weeks she had been waking up with hope that in that exact moment didn't even exist in a flicker. Her stomach felt cramped and her heart uneasy. As she sat up looking all over the room for the cause of such feelings, Hermione finally saw that what was wrong was the missing body next to her. In the spot where Blaise Zabini should be only rested a note, written in his handwriting:

Draco, Hermione, my mom called me unexpectably and I am

forced to go to the Manor, because it turns out she's marrying

her second husband again. She decided this last night and called

for me this morning. I will be back this evening, and don't worry

Draco, everything will be okay.

-Blaise.

Hermione shook Draco awake tersely and handed him the note. Draco looked at it with groggy, sleepy eyes then looked back at her, "Read it."

After Draco had read the note twice he sprang up to his feen extremely fast and pulled Hermione up along with him, "Hermione come on, we have to go to Dumbledore," he said running for the door.

Hermione ran along with him and asked, ''Draco, what is it? Why are you doing this? Draco, what's wrong?"

Draco stopped and looked at her and said urgently, "Hermione, we have to get to Dumbledore. Mariana's second husband was the one that almost killed Blaise. Hermione, let's go."

Draco and Hermione took off not even noticing the coldness of the stone underneath their shoeless feet. Hermione was feeling slightly panicked as she heard and saw Draco's fearful face. His eyes were actually full of tears and his voiced had cracked as he had given her the information. Her own face resembled his, and her eyes were wild with worry.

They sped up to the gargoyled that guarded Dumbledore's office and then up the hidden stairs. They ran into his office even without knocking and as soon as they saw Dumbledore there Draco let out, "Sir, you have to do something! Blaise can't be over at his parents, Sir, please!"

Dumbledore looked at them with sympathetic eyes and responded, "Draco, there's nothing I can do. His mother called for him, I have no power over him outside of Hogwarts."

"Head Master, you don't understand, he can't be over there! Something will happen to him, you have to trust me on this. Sir, please do something," Draco disparingly pleaded.

Coming around his desk Dumbledore said, "Draco, I can't do anything. Believe me, if I could I would. I'm sorry."

"Sir, you don't seem to understand the seriousness of this situation. There must be something you can do," Hermione said speaking for the first time.

"My dear girl, I'm sorry, but I can't do anything."

"Yes, you can. You can do something..._anything_," Hermione cried as a tear streaked down her cheek.

"Hermione, I wish I could do something, but it is not in my power," Dumbledore said putting a hand on her shoulder.

Hermione violently shrugged it off and urgently cried, "There's always something you can do! Please do something. You can save him, don't let him die too."

Dumbledore took a step back and murmured, ''Both of you need to go back to your dormitories. I'm sorry, but it must be so."

Hermione was about to say something else when Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the exit. They relunctantly made their way down the stairs and to their rooms. Hermione couldn't shake off the alarm she was feeling and once they reached their living room finally let out, "Draco, something's going to happen to him, I know it! We have to do something, maybe we can go over to his house and bring him back."

"We can't, Hermione. Dumbledore has everyone watching us, I know him, the Proffesors, the portraits, everyone," Draco said looking down at his feet.

"Draco, we can't just stand here, we have to do something," Hermione said frantically.

"What do you propose, we can't get out, we can't floo there, we can't apparate, there's nothing," he said just as frantic.

"I don't know, but something bad is going to happen, I can feel it," Hermione said as more tears streamed down.

Draco stooped over her and drew her into his arms and quietly murmured, "I know, I know, but right now we can't do anything. I wish there was, Hermione, you don't know how much I wish there was."

Hermione looked up at him with already red eyes searched his eyes for hope. As it was they were devoid of anything even similar and she finally hung her head and cried onto his shoulder. After a minute, though, they separated and started getting ready, for as Dumbledore had said, they still had to attend them.

The day for both was a spin full of sounds and questions gone unanswered as both their minds could do nothing but think of their friend. Neither had been able to focuse at all during the day and finally they found themselves in Potions, their final class of the day. Hermione looked at the board again and still couldn't focuse on the instructions, it was in that moment that her potion exploded and she was thrown back violently.

Severus Snape along with the rest of the class stared at her with hanging mouths, because it was the first time ever Hermione Granger, the perfect girl, had made a mistake. "Miss Granger, what did you do?"

Hermione looked up at the stooping figure of her Potion's Master and shakily answered, "I'm sorry, Sir, I wasn't paying attention."

The whole class in unision took in a breath as Snape said, ''Twenty points from Gryffindor. Miss Granger, as this has been the first time in your whole school career in which you have made a mistake I'm assuming you must be ill. You may go to your room or to Madame Ponfrey, which ever you choose."

Hermione stood up and dusted herself off, "I will go and rest, Sir. Thank you."

Hermione started walking, but just as she was nearing the door she felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach and fell to the ground. Everyone ran to her, exept Draco, whose face was an exact reflection of Hermione's worried one. Finally he stood up and went to her along with everyone else.

Snape looked at her then at Draco, "Draco, take her to her dormitory. Make sure she's okay."

Without a word Draco picked Hermione up and made his way outside the classroom. Just as they had exited Hermione looked up at him and said, "Draco, something happened to him. Draco, something bad happened to him, I felt it."

Draco looked down at her and with clouded eyes answered, "I know, I felt it too. Something is very wrong, Hermione. Now, we have to do something."

They both got their cloaks and sat out runnign blindly across the lawns of Hogwarts, it was around eight o'clock and darkness was setting in. Somehow they knew where to go and as they ran, with fast beating hearts, they prepared themselves for the worst. Finally they reached the end of the lake, and there laying on the ground was a bloody and beaten Blaise Zabini, with slashed wrists.

"Draco," Hermione cried.

He lost no time and picked him up. He didn't know where he gathered the strength to carry Blaise's heavy form, but didn't question it. He ran with him to their rooms. Hermione followed him, crying, her heart frozen. They ran for all they were worth and in minutes they reached their abode and barged in.

Hermione threw open the door and Draco hurried in. He carried Blaise to the bathroom and kicked the closed door open. Hermione raced and turned on the water on the tub. Draco set him down in the water and in a matter of seconds it got crimson with the flowing blood. At that exact moment Hermione felt the veil pulled away and at that exact moment she knew she would do anything to save Blaise's life, even if it meant her own death.

She ran into her room and brought down the emergency kit she always kept with her. She ran back into the bathroom and quickly said to Draco, "We have to stop the bleeding, put these bandages on his wrists."

Draco was paralyzed as unnoticed tears made their way down his frozen face, "DRACO, DRACO,'' Hermione cried pulling him out of his stupor. "Put these on his wrists,'' she said as she threw him the bandages.

Draco pulled himself together and grabbed his best friend's bloody wrists. Hermione meanwhile took out a needle and made a hole on her arm and one on Blaise's major veing. She put in the tube necessary for blood transfusion and started giving her own life to him. She didn't think of whether or not they had the same blood type, somehow knowing it was.

She brought Blaise to consciousness made him focus on her, "Blaise, please stay with me. Please stay with us, don't let go, okay? Everything will be okay."

Blaise's eyes kept going unfocused and she shaked him as frantic tears gushed from her eyes, ''BLAISE, PLEASE STAY WITH US. BLAISE, PLEASE! BLAISE!"

Blaise licked his dry lips and looked at Hermione through one eyes, as the other was shut tight because of the sever beating he had suffered, "N-no, I want to die."

"NO, BLAISE, DON'T DO THIS. PLEASE DON'T DO THIS, FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE, BLAISE. PLEASE!" Hermione cried as she caressed his beaten face.

His shirt was ripped and didn't cover the fron of his stomach which was blue and black with bruised along with his arms. His face had multiple bruises as well, along with a broken nose, a bleeding eyebrow, and the swollen eye. He looked at her and with a sad smile whispered, "No, no more fighting. No more beatings, no more hurt, no more pain, no more life. Hermione, Draco, I just want to rest...let me rest."

Continuing to bandage the multiple gashed along Blaise's arms Draco looked up to him with a tear streaken face and said, "You promised to live, Blaise. YOU PROMISED ME, PLEASE DON'T LET GO. DO IT FOR US, DO IT FOR YOURSELF. YOU HAVE US, YOU'RE NOT ALONE. WE LOVE YOU, BLAISE, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE!''

"I'm sorry, Draco, but I can't do this anymore. Those aren't just cuts that heal, they go deeper. The wounds won't heal. I'm tired of it all, I don't deserve to be beaten," he grunted as he moved ever so slightly and bumped his cracked ribs against the wall of the tub, "I love you too, I love my mom, even if she doesn't love me back, I love...I don't want to anymore. No one deserves it, no one loves me back, I just want to rest. Just let me rest."

"No, Blaise. WE love you, _we_ will heal you. Please don't leave us, you promised to help me, and I promise to help you! Please, Blaise, please don't do this," Hermione pleaded.

Blaise looked at Hermione's blood stained face and quietly murmured, "Hermione, my angel. I'm sorry, but I want to rest. I'm too tired, I have seen too much. I just want to go and rest, please let me do that."

Hermione took his face in her hands and cried, "You promised not to hurt me, and you lied. You're hurting me now, please don't do this. If you want me to be happy, please just stay with us. Please stay and help me, and let us help you. Let me be your angel, let me heal you..._please._ _Please_ just fight for your life, don't let go, and let us do the rest."

Draco finished bandaging up both arms and jumped in the tub with both of them. He started cleaning Blaise's face and pleaded, "Blaise, if you stay with us you'll live and you'll love. Man, you will be loved. Please just stay, we _need_ you!"

"Draco, I know I promised, I'm so sorry. Please understand. None of this was supposed to happen, I wasn't supposed to love without being loved. I, we, weren't meant to be alone!"

"And you're not, you have us, Blaise. Don't leave us, you want the love you already have from us. _We love you!_ The knife can't give you that love! The pain won't go away with you're blood. We all need each other to survive, Blaise. By God, we love you. By God, we will always be here for you, just please don't let go of your life," Hermione desperately said.

"But _she_ doesn't love me. She saw and let him beat me over the man that was looking at her at the wedding. She let him and she looked on her eyes full of excitement and her mouth radiating a smile. Mothers would give their lives for their children, mine will go as far as giving mine up," Blaise said as burning tears slipped from his eyes.

Hermione felt as her body was about to give out. She knew she had given enought blood, but it wouldn't be enough if he didn't want to live, and as she saw her friend's true pain for the first time she said, "She may not love you, but she's sick! Blaise, she's sick! Yet, _we_ love you, _I_ love you. And you know what, _I_ would give up my life for you."

Those were her last words as she slipped into unconsciousness. Blaised looked at her falling body then at Draco and saw how he had made him cry. He saw how he had made his best friend hurt, how he had made her hurt, and just as he too fell unconscious he knew he had to live, he had to live for her and for him. Just as he fell unconscious he whispered the most significant word he had ever spoken, "Okay...''

As Draco disconnected the tube and bandaged both of their arms and carried each one to the bed it could be seen that the blindness no longer existed. It could be seen how the darkness was gone, and not even sheer fog strayed. As Draco sank his tired body next to his friends, he knew that he too was slightly just a little more broken. He knew both of his friends were as well, but as he looked at all of their blood stained bodies, in cluding his own, he knew, and was surer than ever, that they would be whole again. As he looked at their unconscious faces and as he felt himself slipping into numb sleep he knew for sure that they would pull back together again, and through the power of their friendship they would one day be okay. After all, after darkness, no matter what, always comes light...no matter how slowly.

* * *

**Thank you guys for reading. I love writing this story and I love it when you guys Review. I can't wait to keep on writing, because this story is unfolding itself. It's just like any other art, it is not as if I'm writing it, it's as if it's writing itself. There is still alot to come and I hope you guys keep tuned in. Thank you again for reading and Please, Please REVIEW! Please let me know what you think, because l love hearing from you guys. **

**Love,**

**Aly!**


	13. Chapter Thirteen:Nostalgia!

Broken!

Chapter Thirteen:Nostalgia!

_Recap:_As Draco disconnected the tube and bandaged both of their arms and carried each one to the bed it could be seen that the blindness no longer existed. It could be seen how the darkness was gone, and not even sheer fog strayed. As Draco sank his tired body next to his friends, he knew that he too was slightly just a little more broken. He knew both of his friends were as well, but as he looked at all of their blood stained bodies, in cluding his own, he knew, and was surer than ever, that they would be whole again. As he looked at their unconscious faces and as he felt himself slipping into numb sleep he knew for sure that they would pull back together again, and through the power of their friendship they would one day be okay. After all, after darkness, no matter what, always comes light...no matter how slowly.

The meanings of words sometimes seem to be blurred in the mass abyss of syllables and letters upon letters that fill the world. The life of a word, the one thing we seem to always overlook, but the one thing that they always seem to have in a way is interminably lost in the way we take for granted everything and everyone that we speak of. The feeling of life a word can invoke at any given moment in our time is ironacally unfelt as we care not of the power a single line can have. As each day passes and life moves in it's unimaginable pace and as we move with it, running, trying to keep up, we forget with simplicity only the human mind can have, to see, to _feel_ the strength the smallest of utterances conveys. Then, after a single event forces one to stop moving in the ever uncanny pace we feel we must move in trying desperately to cram everything into life and we realize we aren't living life at all, is that we realize the true power of a forgotten word can cause a stolid soul to feel.

Nostalgia, the single word it seems we all forget as we turn the ever upcoming corners in our lives, the single word that stares at us but which we choose to ignore, is the single word that has the strength to kill. Yet, as ironically as we forget to feel it is that we forget that that which can kill can also give life. Then, as the scary face of nostalgia is finally seen for the first time, is that we breach then entrance into our very soul, searching for that which we need to survive. The nostalgic feelings for that which we need but can only obtain from ourselves gives a choice of wether to move on or to ignore the truth forever. It gives the choice of wether to truly live life or continue to fool ourselves acting like a never stopping army of ants. Then, finally, it gives you the strength to find the life that we each deserv, because it is deserved by all, but which is seeked only by a spare few who have the strength.

For three long and agonizing days Hermione Granger and Blaise Zabini had been in and out of a commatose state, both breaching their own defences, both in search of strength because it was known by all that's what they would need. For seventy-two hours both had had the opportunity to analyze and realize truths behind the situations that had broken them, and both finally were brave enough to disperse the lies they carried on for themselves. For Hermione her mind allowed her to go back to the times upon which she had shared her life with the individuals that had given hers, and it ws then that she truly realized the lie she had lived since she had known and seen the disparities of life. For Blaise his mind only gave him the truth behind his hurt, it gave him the tools and harsh reality check he truly needed. Both for the first time stared back at the cold and naked truth, both for the first time allowed themselves to acknowledge it.

Blaise Zabini opened his tired eyes and licked his cracked lips expecting the metallic taste of blood, but finding nothing but a slight coat of moisture that only water can provide. His body felt completely weak and he knew he had not enought strength to move, but still turned his head to the side to stare at the serene face of Hermione Granger. Against his will his lips stretched into a weary smile and with that small amounts of blood came from the cracked skin of his thirsty lips. He continued to stare at her and tried to move his arm to her face, but winced immediately as shooting pain shot through both of his throbbing arms. He turned his face to the other side as shame consumed him to find Draco Malfoy coming from the bathroom with wet hair and wearing not his usual formal attire, but wrinkled pijamas he hadn't worn for years.

As Draco turned his head and saw Blaise's open eyes he ran to his side and sat on the bed. He took his temperature and checked on his bandaged arms before finally looking into back up at his eyes. He continued to stare at him for what seemed ages before saying in a very low voice, "Welcome back."

Blaise looked up at him and with a very unconvincing smile answered, "Are you done fussing with me or would you like to continue fondling me while I am in this indefencive state?"

Draco reached for a basin full of water and dipped a white rag in it wiping it across Blaise's bleeding lips, "I cleaned your body and bandaged your rib cage, which seems to be healing alright. Your eye is unswelling slowly but surely, the bruises I'm afraid you'll have for a while, but concealer will hide them. Obviously I couldn't give you a bath so your hair is full of sweat and blood, but I'll help you take one as soon as your strong enough."

Blaise looked up at Draco's icy eyes searching them for something that seemed to be missing, "Draco?"

Draco mean while was bringing a glass of water to Blaise's mouth and only said, "Here, drink this."

Blaise obidiently drank the water and once Draco had taken it away looked at Draco expectantly once again, "Draco?"

However, Draco was helping Blaise up into a sitting position and ignored Blaise again, his only response to look away. He turned around and brought new bangages from onto of the nightstand and took the old bandages and threw them away before putting the new ones on. Blaise allowed him to do both of his arms before he persisted once again, "Draco!"

This time Draco looked from his arms to him with furious eyes and accused, "Dammit Blaise! What, what do you want me to say? You promised me you wouldn't, you promised, Blaise. Don't expect me to say it's okay."

"Draco..." Blaise, but was soon cut off as a tear made it's unibidden way down Draco's cheek.

"What, what are you going to say, Blaise? What are you going to tell me? Are you going to tell me I'm strong enough on my own, are you going to tell me you thought I would be okay without you? What _exactly_ is your explanation going to be this time, Blaise? Please don't keep me in suspence," Draco said harshly with a cracked voice as new tears made their way from his unblinking eyes.

"Draco, Draco I'm sorry. Draco I'm so, so sorry," Blaise said as he stared with wide eyes at his friend's red and puffy ones.

"I'm sorry doesn't seem to cut it," came a small voice from the other side of the bed.

Draco ran towards Hermione as she looked at him supporting herself with her elbows. He helped her to a sitting position as well and immediately brought water to her lips. She gratefully took it and quelched the dry thirst that encased her dry throat. Draco took her temperature too and checked her bandaged arms once again before placing both of his hands on the sides of her face and leaning down giving her an unexpected kiss on the forehead.

Hermione looked up at Draco and gave him a smile, "Having fun taking care of us?"

Draco ran his hands across his tear stained face and said in a cracked voice, "I can't deal with the cheeky remarks right now, I just can't."

"Draco, I'm sorry, man. Draco please look at me," Blaise pleaded.

"Don't you understand, Blaise? Sorry isn't going to do the job, you betrayed us. You promised me you would always be here. You came to me telling me you needed me, telling me how I needed you! God, Blaise I trusted you and you let that all crash down. You promised you would never make me cry and I've cried for both of you just as much as I've cried for myself. Blaise, I'm so tired of crying and yet I know it won't be the last time, and we're still here. Don't ask for anything more, because you already have everything we can give," Hermione said as a self mocking tear fell from her eyes.

Blaise looked from Hermione to Draco and finally as his own eyes filled with tears he said, "I know I'm selfish. I know I can't say anything on my behalf, I know I hurt you, but...but it hurts _so_ much. Hermione, I'm so tired of hurting, can you understand that?"

"For the love of God, Blaise! It's always going to hurt, the only thing you can do is hope that it'll lessen a little everyday with those that _do_ love you. You keep on mourning you mother and you don't seem to understand she doesn't ever mourn for you. She doesn't care, Blaise, and that's the cold hard truth. I know it hurts, but don't come to me with pityful eyes, because I damn well know what pain is, but _I_ promised _you_ I would be strong for both of us and I'm still here," Draco burst out as salty tears made their way uncontrollably down his pallid face.

"Draco, I know, okay? I know! But, damn it, that doesn't make it stop hurting. I still love her and I will never stop, and I-I need her so much. I crave her touch, her attention even though I know she'll never give it to me. Can't you of all people understand that? Can't you understand that she has hurt me so much that I even crave that? Can't you understand that I have no life? Can't you understand that it kills me everyday to see all those damn people who have gone through nothing have a life full of joy and laughter when ours is nonexistant and is full of sorrow? Can't you understand that I know I'll never have that?" Blaise cried as held tears poured down his swollen face.

"Life, life? Blaise, those people don't live life. They have no life, don't _you_ understand that you are living life? Don't you see that life is not life if all you have is nonimportant moments of pleasure every single day every minute of your life? They have no life, because though they might have displeasures they know nothing of what true pain is. You are brave enough to live, because you've been doing it all your life. Damn it, Blaise, you're brave enough to live the sorrow, but are you brave enough to live the joy?" Hermione said looking into Blaise's deep brown eyes.

"Hermione...I just want it so bad, that I don't even know if I get it if I'll enjoy it, because I've wanted it for so long. Hermione I want the something I've never have, but we can't have everything. So, now I ask _you_, what's the point of being here?"

Hermione looked into his eyes with fierce eyes and answered, "Blaise, we are all nostalgic for what we don't have. We all miss and are homesick for that which we've never known, but it takes bravery to look for it. Think about it, what we want is a home and understanding, when have we had that? Never, but that's the thing, at least we're searching for it. That's the point of being here, not to let what comes our way break us down, but keep moving, because if you stop to think too long or if you move too fast you miss the reality life can give you. We were forced to move in a pace that forgives nothing, but at least we can actually live. All those people you talk about don't live life, they just live a pack full of lies!"

Silence ruled the room until Draco, looking at the wall with a faraway look said in a low and even voice, "We're God's art. We were all made as peices of art, and as with every peice of art we are all unique. We are all special and individuals except for those who fall into the monotony of every single other one. We're those peices of sculptures and paintings which are strong, bold, and different. We're the ever entrancing, the one's with the slight mistakes that aren't mistakes at all. We may have a small chip or the paint might be decaying slightly, but in the end you know that's what makes the peice so great. We see the world with a confused and blurred clarity and live it with a passion many will not know. We're nothing better than anyone, but we will never be like any of them. Because, one, we're all different, it's just some are scared of it and others hide it, and two because the pain we may feel give us strength that no one else will know."

Blaise looked up at Draco and with a small voice said, "I'm so tired, though. I-I just want to rest and feel nothing for a day. I ask nothing of the world, I ask not for the passion or the individuallity, because sometimes it seems not living life is better than living all the bad parts of it."

"What, Blaise, how do you think I feel? How do you think Hermione feels? Damn it, my father beats me from time to time and what's worse he lets others do it for him and my mother drinks her life away pretending she's defenceless and can't do anything to save her only son. Blaise, Hermione doesn't _have_ any parents that can either give her hapiness or pain. Don't you dare think we don't feel the same! But, Blaise, at least we have each other. At least we aren't alone, because loneliness leaves you with no soul at all," Draco said looking at Blaise with a passionate expression.

"Blaise your mother has something wrong with her, you know it, we all know it. She may not realize what she's doing to you until it's too late for her or you, but you have us. You will always have us. Blaise, you said your mother would let you die and I told you I would give my life for you. Your mother has left your life full of darkness and I would burn the earth to bring life into it. _We_ care for you, and until you convince yourself it's okay to have us care so much for you even when your own mother doesn't you won't be okay. I know you feel it's your fault, we all feel we are responsible for the wrongness in our lives, but it's not. I know it's hard to believe, but we know it's the truth. You are worthy of everything good and great in this world, don't ever believe otherwise,'' Hermione implored.

Blaise looked at Hermione and Draco and after minutes of sitting in silence rang out with a clear laugh. Hermione and Draco both looked at him and he explained through chocked laughter, ''We're so messed up! We have so many issues and we're only teenagers. I mean, we-we'll probably always live with them and-and here we are sixteen year olds feeling feelings people should never feel...it's so terrible and so damn comical at the same time."

Hermione and Draco looked at each other and joined Blaise in his intoxicating laughter, even though nothing was funny about their situation. At least no one else would ever see the hillarity of their predicaments. Yet, as they continued to laugh, two of them in abstract pain, the nostalgia to live life was not only felt but inhaled in ravished hope. The dramaticism it brought was fully in effect and all acknowledged it. Though life at the moment seemed full of so much drama the nostalgia that it brought was something so strong that all knew it would be fulfilled, because once you understand the power of a word, you understand that for it to be quelched ever so slightly the meaning behind it must be fulfilled. The meaning it hides once understood must be reached, it must be breached.

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**Thank you guys so flippin' much for reading! I know this one took a long time and I'm so sorry, but I've been really busy with school starting and all. Anywho, please REVIEW and tell me what you guys think. I love hearing your feedback, I really do and nothing drives an author to write so much as the satisfaction of her readers. Anywho, thank you again and PLEASE, PLEASE REVIE!**

**Love, **

**Aly!**


	14. Chapter Fourteen:Silence!

Broken!

Chapter Fourteen:Silence!

_Recap:_Hermione and Draco looked at each other and joined Blaise in his intoxicating laughter, even though nothing was funny about their situation. At least no one else would ever see the hillarity of their predicaments. Yet, as they continued to laugh, two of them in abstract pain, the nostalgia to live life was not only felt but inhaled in ravished hope. The dramaticism it brought was fully in effect and all acknowledged it. Though life at the moment seemed full of so much drama the nostalgia that it brought was something so strong that all knew it would be fulfilled, because once you understand the power of a word, you understand that for it to be quelched ever so slightly the meaning behind it must be fulfilled. The meaning it hides once understood must be reached, it must be breached.

As time passes and as people grow apart the detachment, no matter how much ignored, continually becomes stronger. The silence full of secrecy that seems to encase the truth seems to become excessively more pronounced to the point upon which ignorance is no longer an excuse but one of the greatest of hipocricies. The foundation upon which the original friendship was established is nothing more than a transluscent fog which contains only glimpses of memories when a friendship actually existed. Yet that fog,instead of being blown away by the winds of pain, seems to be reinforced by a wall created from the same silence that everyone is too scared to brake. But as with everything, the ever so strong wall of silence hides way to something that in all it's complexity is the simplest of matters, the fear of losing the comfort of knowing we have always had someone, the fear of being completely and utterly alone in a world that forgives nothing.

Then it is understood that the wall which everyone is too weak to push against is nothing more than the raw feelings of fear, nothing more than the desperation of a simple soul. Then, like finally understanding an extravagantly complicated weaving, it becomes clear that the strength of the afore mentioned wall is nothing more than the biggest weakness of the human heart. Finally, after all is understood, it is for the first time truly seen that weakness is just that and with the continually growing silence, the weight of it will overpower the all the weakness and the ever so strong wall will crumble as nothing more than what it truly is. When the human heart and mind combine reason is lost among the overpowering want of assurance, but when one truly understands that mind and heart need to be separated it is that clarity truly comes. When we finally let ourselves see things for what they truly are, and when one finally allows oneself to break away, it is then that we gain the strength to break the silence. It is then that we give ourselves the power to take one more step in the way to freedom.

It had been close to a week and a half since Hermione and Blaise had woke up, one weak and a half spent doing nothing more than sleeping and eating. Both had been absent from classes all that time, but thanks to Draco's made up explanation to their Professors neither were in any trouble. Hermione had been doing all her work and Draco had been helping Blaise when Hermione was asleep, neither of them wanting to call on her for help, neither wanting her to think they wanted to use her. As the days had passed things were continually getting better, Hermione and Draco both choosing to believe for this one time that Blaise would never hurt himself like this again, chose to believe he would never hurt _them_ like this again.

In that time Blaise and Hermione spent their time recuperating as it seemed Blaise lost a little bit too much blood, while Hermione gave just a little too much blood of her own. In this time Hermione had gotten to see a side of Draco Malfoy that she never even imagined existed. In her afore childish picture of him she would have compared him to a heartless devil. She had secretly found it amusing how his name depicted him as one, but now she got to see that his icy exterior was only his defence machenism and what lay beneath was a wounded dragon, just as his name told. She had spent that past week examining him trying to decide what he was indeed, a devil or dragon. Finally, however, she came to the conclusion he was both just as every other person was. The bad side we all have he chose to show to the world, cutting through all the crap, and only telling the truth. Then, the wrath that each of us had was, in him, mixed with a sort of wounded love that made him a complete enigma. And it was because Hermione was Hermione that she loved solving puzzles.

She sat propped on pillows, Blaise Zabini sleeping at her side, staring at Draco Malfoy with a perculiar attentive look. It was Friday evening and he had just come back from his final class. He bustled around the room bringing ointments, bandages, and food to the bed where Hermione and Blaise had spent most of their time. Draco strode with an assured walk to the side where Blaise slept and started changin the bandages that covered his arms. He applied ointment on each of the wounds with startling attention then put fresh bandages on his arms. He finally looked up to find Hermione looking at him, book in her lap, head cocked to the side.

They stared at each other until finally Draco couldn't take it any longer and asked, "What?"

Hermione looked at him funnily and smiled, "Nothing, I didn't say anything, did I?"

"Well, no, but you were looking at me funny. Hermione, Hermione is your hair wet?" Draco questioned walking over to her side of the bed.

Hermione looked at her hair then back at Draco and answered, "Yeah, I took a shower before you go here."

"Hermione, why didn't you wait for me? You could have fallen or something and no one would have been here. Blaise is still weat to even stand up and what would you have done then? You can't just do that without me being here. You're supposed to be the responsible one, would it be that hard to just wait until I got here?" He asked looking at her with a mixed expression of worry and slight annoyance.

Hermione started laughing and as Draco was about to protest she responded, "Calm down, okay? I won't do it again, but I'm okay, aren't I. Just take a moment and breath, we're not expecting the world of you. Besides, I'm getting stronger, and as we can all see I'm capable of taking a bath. Blows your mind, doesn't it?"

Draco allowed himself and exasperating smile, but as he opened his mouth to speak the door opened and Harry Potter strode through the door way with his invisibility cloak in hand. He stopped midway, staring ahead of him with an amazed look, his mouth hanging slightly open. He looked from Hermione to Draco then down at Blaise, not believing what his eyes showed him. He stepped forward then turned around around to leave, but at that moment Hermione jumped out of bed and called after him, "Harry wait."

Harry spun around with a blank look on his face and stared down at Hermione as she came towards him. She reached out a hand but just as hers was about to catch his he stepped back, "Wh-what the hell is this, Hermione?"

"Harry, Harry please understand. I'm not doing anything, it's just, it's complicated," Hermione said attempting to touch him again.

Harry took another step back and remarked, "Understand what? I don't know what's going on here, Hermione. Tell me what the hell you're doing with these two."

Hermione looked from Draco to Harry then she put her head down and quietly said, "They're, they're my friends."

Harry took another step back and looked as if he's been hit. His face paled at her words and her eyes filled with tears. He looked at the standing form of Draco Malfoy then at the sleeping one of Blaise Zabini, not truly believing his eyes, "What? Hermione, what did you say?"

"They're my friends," Hermione said once again looking up at him.

Harry turned around without a word and started making his way out of the room. Hermione ran after him, Draco on her heels, she streched her hand out and caught his arm and desparately said, "Harry, please, try to understand. I know how you feel, but there's more to this than you think."

Harry ripped his arm out of her grip and coldly said, ''Don't touch me, Hermione, don't touch me. There obviously isn't anything to understand."

Harry once again turned around and as cold tears fell from Hermione's eyes she once again tried to reach him, "Harry please, please don't go."

Hermione went after him again and grabbed his arm once again. Draco stared at her, seeing her tears fall down her eyes for a person who never understood her, his heart strained with contained emotions. He suddenly ran to Hermione as Harry once again ripped his arm away from hers leaving Hermione to fall, her body too weak to sustain herself for more.

"Hermione," Draco cried as she fell onto his arms.

Harry spun around and at seeing Draco holding her he finally lost control and grabbed her away from him, "Don't you touch her you bastard. How dare you lay your filthy hands on her when you have done nothing but hurt her all these years?"

"Potter, you know nothing of what this is about. Don't you dare tell me what I should or shouldn't do when Blaise and I have been the only ones she has been able to count on," Draco said as he stared at Harry with icy eyes.

Hermione picked herself up and positioned herself in between them both, "Harry, please calm down. I can explain everything. Please don't leave without knowing what this is all about. Don't do that to yourself, don't do that to me."

"Hermione, I'm your friend, not them. What the hell are you doing with them? What is this all about, what is _this_, period?" Harry cried looking bewildered at Hermione.

"You, her friend, please don't make me laugh. You have not been her friend for a year and now you call yourself that, how dare you?" Draco said taking a step forward.

"Shut up you git, I wasn't talking to you. I'm her friend, not you. How dare you call yourself her friend when all you have ever done is hurt her? Who do you think you are?" Harry cried as he too stepped forward menacingly.

"Stop, both of you! Okay? Please just stop," Hermione cried as more tears fell from her eyes.

"Hermione, what is this? Tell me what this is all about," Harry said looking down at her with a mixture of pain and anger.

"Harry, they're my friends. They've been helping me through some stuff, but you're still my friend as well. They've been here for me, though, and...and I don't know what to say. Tell me what you want me to say," Hermioen said looking up at him with desperation.

"Hermione, we're your friends, Ron and I. These two have done nothing for you. Hermione, I don't understand. I-I don't understand what this, what you're..." He was unable to finish his sentence, out of words, as a tear made its way down his pale cheek.

"Harry, they've just been helping me. They-I, Harry, I don't know how to explain this. Harry, please don't cry," Hermione said as she wiped the tears off of his face.

"Mione, how could you do this? How-Why? Hermione, please tell me what's going on, tell me why you would betray us, me?" Harry asked in a pained voice as Hermione took his face in her hands.

"Betray you? Please, there was nothing to betray. She hasn't had you as a friend for a whole fucking year, Potter. Don't try to play the innocent one, because that shit doesn't fool me," cried Draco angrily.

"Draco, please don't," Hermione said looking back at him.

"Don't what, Hermione?" he cried, "He doesn't even know what's been going on in your life! It's been Blaise and me who have been here for you. Where were they when you needed a shoulder to cry on? Where were they when you needed someone to go to the funeral with you? Where?"

Harry looked down at Hermione and asked, "Hermione, what funeral? What is he talking about?"

"See, he doesn't even know you've been hurting! What kind of a friend is that? We're the ones that have hurt with you, Hermione, not him. He has done nothing but hurt you even more," Draco said looking down at Hermione.

"We've always been there. I have always been there, if she needed me I would have been at her side! Don't you dare say anything that you know nothing of," Harry retorted angrily.

''You idiotic prick, her parents died! They're dead! Where were you? Where have you been all this time? She has been through so much and you haven't even noticed. She almost fucking died for goodness sakes!" Draco cried shaking.

Harry paled a shade and looked stonily down at Hermione, "What is he talking about, Hermione? Tell him your parents aren't dead. Tell me he's just lying."

Hermione looked down at her feet and slowly said, "I can't lie to you, Harry. I can't tell you what you want to hear."

Harry grabbed her shoulders and almost pleadingly said, "Hermione, please-please tell me it's not true."

Hermione looked away from his face, "I can't do that, Harry."

Harry let go of her and took a few steps back, he seemed utterly confused, scared, "Hermione, why didn't you come to me? Why didn't you come to us, Hermione? I've lost my parents too, I could have helped you! Why didn't you tell us?"

"Harry, it's different," Hermione said.

"Hermione, how can it be different? We've both lost our parents, I don't think there's anything different about that," Harry said looking at her.

"Harry, you and I are different. We don't feel the same, please-"

"WHAT? Don't feel the same? Hermione, my parents died too, I know what it feels like, okay? I know how much it hurts, why didn't you come to me?" Harry asked desperately.

"Harry, no we're not. We're so different and you don't even see that. You can love and be happy even after suffering so much and I'm dying inside! I can't be like you, okay? Call me a coward, but I can't deal with all this the way you did. I just can't," Hermione said as more tears streaked down her ashen face.

"Hermione, I would have understood. Ron would have understood, why didn't you just come to us?" Harry continued.

At that exact moment Hermione finally saw everything clearly, the resentment, the pain, everything became clear. At that exact moment she chose to break the silence, "Harry, I didn't have to tell _them._ It's been a year, Harry, a _year_ since I have felt like I'm dying and months since my parents died and almost died with them. I didn't have to tell Blaise or Draco anything, they noticed every change in me. They noticed how I was in pain, how much I was suffering, how I was _dying._ They're the ones that are trying their damn hardest to bring me back to life, to truly live, when you and Ron didn't even noticed anything was wrong. It was _them_, Harry, not _you_ who have been with me all this time. It's been them, it was them!"

Harry stood in front of her breathing hard, crying tears, and without a word he turned around. He left behind the room where now Hermione was crying angry tears onto Draco's chest. He too knew that the silence they had all felt had been broken. He too knew that everything Hermione had said was true. Yet, now he was the one being a coward, not Hermione. He was the one that ran away.

Hermione continued crying as Blaise slowly made his way into the room. She knew he had heard everything and as he looked at him all he received was a look of everlasting warmth. As she cried onto Draco's chest and felt his heart beating exceedingly fast, she allowed her face and tired body to fall into his, slowly fading into a tired stupor. As she slowly fainted however and felt Draco's strong hands holding her, her heart felt lighter. Her tears were no longer angry, but relieved. The wall had been shattered and in the end that was the best thing that could have happened, because it was better to know the whole truth than continue living in made up ignorance. Yes, the relief was great, because she now understood it was better to speak up than to let her heart drown in the ocean of silence.

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**Hello everyone! I hope you guys enjoyed this one. Okay, I just want to make sure once again that you guys don't believe this is the end, because there still is a lot to happen. Please tell me what you guys thought of it, because I love to hear from you guys. There is nothing greater for an author, or any artist for that matter, than to hear the audience enjoys their work. I even like the healthy criticism some of you might have so please don't hold back. Please REVIEW, and as always, keep reading.**

**Love,**

**Aly!**

**P.S. Sorry it took so long.**


	15. Chapter Fifteen:Surrender!

Broken!

Chapter Fifteen:Surrender!

_Recap:_Hermione continued crying as Blaise slowly made his way into the room. She knew he had heard everything and as he looked at him all he received was a look of everlasting warmth. As she cried onto Draco's chest and felt his heart beating exceedingly fast, she allowed her face and tired body to fall into his, slowly fading into a tired stupor. As she slowly fainted however and felt Draco's strong hands holding her, her heart felt lighter. Her tears were no longer angry, but relieved. The wall had been shattered and in the end that was the best thing that could have happened, because it was better to know the whole truth than continue living in made up ignorance. Yes, the relief was great, because she now understood it was better to speak up than to let her heart drown in the ocean of silence.

With every situation in the road of life there seems to be always a time in which surrender is the only acceptable way out. It seems to be unevitable as the doors of a tragedy seek to be shut, seek their end, as with every joy that though ecstatically merry must too come to a fought at finish. It isn't much of a choice, but more of an inevitable choice made by those that hold in their hands the thread to the web of life, and whose fingers carry the scars of every bad turn made and the milk white skin of the flourish of true life. A surrender every creature, every object, must come to is lead to by every fiber in the intricate tapestry that only God himself knows for sure. Mortals, in our foolish ways, always fight without purpose to always be strong against the tide of time, ignoring every second the fact that the tide is always stronger. Fight as we may, surrender is the scarry face staring to each in turn, at every single one of us, abiding it's time until we all meet him. Yet, though the fear seems to be incased in every letter that makes that word, no one seems to truly know that surrender can be beautiful.

We never truly realize that life is not black and white, that not only shadows exist in their mist. We oversee the colors that sigh the breath of life. In those colors there are not only the good and great, nor in the darker ones not only does agony and hurt abide, in those colors lie the beacon containing the fire we need to survive. Surrender seems to be opaquely hidden in ever fogged dosage of color, resting, waiting. In it's wholeness lies the answer many seek, never realizing that they seek in all the wrong places, never believing what they seek is in the one spot of life we all avoid. Surrender, the word is beautiful as it is terrible, heavenly as it is mystifying. Yes, surrender comes to all, it comes always. It does not pin point a person, but it does pin point a moment. That moment, the one moment that paves the way to the rest of life. Yes, bittersweet surrender, no one seems to believe it can cure. No one seems to believe it can sometimes be good...we're all so foolish.

"Noooooooooo!" Hermione yelled as she raced in wild flurry through the dark forest.

Her captor came after her with an unbelievably wild pace. She could hear the light footsteps as they landed, marking the spot in which their owner fell. This setting seemed to be a dream of an overactive imagination, but the crunch of the falling leaves and pebbles beneath her feet made it clear that this was all too real. The intake of breaths from the person chasing her, so close by, were enough, in their own right, to let her know she must keep on moving. Though her lungs cried for her to stop, her mind guided her feet, not letting the stop. Her side ached maniacally, but she had to keep moving, she could not stop.

This was alway a game of cat and mouse, she knew her seeker could capture her at any moment he chose, but he paced himself letting her pull ahead. She wanted desperately to look back, but she knew if she did it would be foolish, it would be only a mere second. Yes, a mere second that would give him the advantage to overtake her. She saw light, indicating the end of the dense forest. Only a little further and she could almost feel the coolness of the air mix with the warm sun. Oh, so close.

Her legs felt as if they were about to give out underneath her, but she saw the light. She pushed herself and sprint through the maze of bushes and trees coming out to a clear patch of land. She saw the lake only a few feet away from her. Her mind sighed in agitated relief. _'Almost there, I'm almost there. I can make it. Dear God, I can make it!'_

She came only five feet from her haven, she could almost feel herself there, then it happened. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her abdomen and though she kicked trying to get away, they held tight. In a single moment her fighting seemed to pay off and they tilted falling to the ground, the body behind her sheilding her fall purposely. She scrambled to her feet with wild eyes and ran to the tall rock that rested just two feet from the water's edge. She ran furiously and touched the rock. Hermione stared up to the eyes of her chaser, meeting them head on.

"You'll never catch me. I've won, I'm safe, you can't do anything now," she said looking at him.

"Oh, you have no idea who you're dealing with," responded the man with a strong voice.

Hermione took off running, then in an instant felt the arms grab her again. They fell to the ground again, oh so fast. It came so quick, Hermione felt almost dizzy. She rested with her body completely over the one who she had been running away from. Her ear rested on his chest and she could hear the vibrations of his wild heart. She looked up at him and then it happened. Ringing laughter encased the whole clearing! Laughter, so like the sound of ringing bells.

Hermione sat up and looked at the icy blue eyes of the man in front of her. She giggled uncontrollably and then something inexplicable happened, and intoxicating laugh came from the red lips of Draco Malfoy. His eyes lit up instantly as his lips twisted into a glorious gring. Hermione stared at him and crossed an arm dramatically in front of her eyes dramatically, "Oh, dear God. Stop, the light, the blinding light! Your teeth are so shiny...it huuuuurrrrtttsss! I see now the kindness you show to the rest of the world by covering that terrible, terrible thing!"

Hermione's smile dissapeared as Draco's did too. She looked at him and instantly said, "Draco, I was just kidding! Please, come on."

He stood up and walked away from her. Hermione didn't have time to catch the mischief in his eyes and followed. She grabbed his arms and pulled him around. She looked up into his eyes and pleaded, "Please Draco, don't go. You know I was just kidding. Please don't go."

Draco stared down at her without a smile and suddenly grabbed her and put her over his shoulder. Hermione's pleadings were lost in her giggles and his own laughter. He ran into the lake, not bothering with his clothing or shoes. He dived into the lake and took Hermione with him. They both came up at the same time, Draco laughing uncontrollably, Hermione gasping for breath. She looked at him and stuttered, "Ooooh, I'm going to ki-kill youuuu!"

Her teeth shattered as she glided out of the freezing water. She went and sat in the middle of the clearing, basking in the glorious warmth. Draco came to her grinning a wolfish smile. He sat down next to her and said mimicking her, "Come on, Hermione. You know I was kidding!"

Hermione looked at him and couldn't stop the smile from forming on her lips, "Oh, shut up! That's not fair, besides, I won. I touched the rock just like you said. You're a cheater!"

Draco put on a face of fake apallement and exclaimed, "Me! Me! Please, you're the cheater! I caught you before you reached it, so therefore I had the complete right to take you and dump you in the lake just like we agreed."

Hermione narrowed her eyes and said, "I think I liked the always serious Draco better!"

Draco let out one of his intoxicating laughs and Hermione had no choice but to laugh along with him. They stared at each other, neither saying a word. Hermione's heart was palpitating wildly as she put her head on Draco's lap. She had no idea what it meant and was slightly scared of it. She had no idea that Draco too was terrified of the unsought feelings that arose in him.

Neither said anything, both basking in comfortable silence, Draco's fingers entangled in her wild mane of hair. She laid thinking about the past three weeks. Who would have thought such a small amount of time could make such a world of difference? She supposed she was supposed to be sad about the loss of her friend, but they had been lost to her for a really long time. It had not come as a surprise, but she still had expected to feel more hurt. It seemed clear that at the time in which she had thought about it Draco Malfoy had not been present. By God, who would have ever thought such a side existed inside the tortured sould of Draco Malfoy? It was almost as if he was the kid he never got to be.

She certainly had never expected to see the side of him he showed no one, but it was as if they were drawn to each other in mystifying awe. It had happened only three days after she and Harry had had that immense talk. She had been immersed in her grief, not crying, the tears almost ran in mock. No, she sat staring at nothing, like she had done for the last couple of days. Blaise respected her in her grief with almost reverance, but Draco Malfoy was by far a man of action. It made his stomach churn every time he saw her solitary form sit infront of the fire, staring at the amber, almost hollow. No, he couldn't contain himself any longer and he went to her. Almost begging in his eyes for her to be okay.

She had never expected him to come to her, but like it was said, it was almost as if they were drawn. She never thought it would be so plainly easy to get him to open up to her. She knew for a fact that it scared Draco to death when he saw how easly he would give in to her curious insistence. It was easy to see he could not refuse her; it was as if the light he got to see in her eyes was enough to keep him alive without nourishment. In a way it seemed to be, every smile he begrudingly got was his food, every ringing laugh was his water; he needed no more. It scared him shitless.

Hermione didn't know how he could do it, how he could charm her out of her misery, but she didn't even want to know. It was enough to know he was ready to bring light into her darkness, that seemed to be enough. She had not had a true laugh in such a long time she could barely even remember what her voice sounded like. He changed everything, though. She knew he too had been uncomfortable those first few days in which he tried desperately to draw her out of herself, to show him what he was feeling. She could see the frustration he swallowed when she refused him and turned away. Even though Draco had had a bad past he was still treated like royalty, he always had what he wanted when he wanted, he hand never encountered the Hermiones in the world. She had expected him to quit any moment, she expected to frustrate him enough to the point he would just leave her alone to drown in her misery...she had never met the persistence of the Dracos in the world.

It was odd, Hermione thought, that they could understand each other so easily. That's how she first started to let go, by seeing how different they were and how they seemed to complement each other perfectly. Then came the moment in which she surrendered blissfully and he earned his first worked-for-smile from her. The white rose he held in his hand seemed to have done he job. Who would have though surrender could be so blissful? So beautiful.

"Your hair is like a jungle," Draco stated, drawing her from her thoughts.

Hermione grinned at him and said, "Correction, Mr. Malfoy, it's like a bush. That's it's name, actually, Sir Bush of the Hermione."

Draco looked down at her with a raised eyebrow, "Oh really?"

"Yes, really. Blows your mind, doesn't it?" Hermione said smiling cheekily.

They continued talking about nonsense, that not really mattering. Yes, Hermione had surrendered herself to the arms of the man she once had concidered the enemy, terribly ironic, no? It all somehow seemed eerily right, so the surrended was easier than she could have ever imagined. When most people were scared of that word Hermione now accepted it and somehow found in it a warmth she had never expected. In one way or another Hermione's tattered life seemed to be somehow going right. At least that's what she thought before the bushes started rustling and a form stepped out of them with a shadow cast upon his face.

Hermione and Draco stood up in a hurry. Both stared at Blaise in front of them, both knew something was set in a track to go terribly wrong. Hermione took a step forward looking up at Blaise. His eyes were a shade she had never seen them be. It was like the blackness of an eery night had taken over them. She grabbed his face in her soft ones and stared in to his eyes. Somehow she knew before she asked, yet nothing made it any easier to hear what his answer would be, "Blaise what's wrong?"

Blaise stared at them with a pained gaze. He looked down at his hands and it was only then that Hermione and Draco noticed a piece of parchment in his hands. He looked up again and licked his dry lips, his face pale, "My mother needs me to go home. Something is wrong."

Hermione stared up at him and cried out, "No! You can't go. We all know what could happen. Blaise, we can find another way, you don't have to go. No, you won't go. I won't let them hurt you."

A ghost of a smile crossed his lips as he kissed her forehead, "Nothing can be done. I have to go, Hermione. Not even you can save me from this one."

Hermione opened her mouth to speak again, but then a barn owl swooped and dropped an envelope in Draco's hands. He tore it open and as soon as he looked up the color was drained from his face. His lips contained an almost blue hue. Hermione's gut twisted, "Draco, what's wrong?"

Draco looked down at the paper again and than back at her, "I-Dumbledore needs to see me. Something's very wrong..." Then his knees buckled under him. Blaise and Hermione ran to him. Hermione's face was contorted in anger at fate. Why must it give her happiness and then rip from her? Why was fate so cruel?

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**OH MY GOSH! If I'm right I think I just left you guys a cliffhanger! Dun, dun, dun, dun! Well, it serves its purpose. Hahahaha, losers, I know what's going to happen and you don't! J/K. Anyway, thank you so much for reading. I expect to hear back from you guys and see what you think. You all seem to want to know how Draco and Hermione were going to be drawn together, well there you go. This story is like a tapestry, just when you think you have the pattern figured out it twists and changes dramatically. Please REVIEW! Please, please tell me what you think. All your response drives my heart forward to keep on writing. Thank you again for reading...please REVIEW...again.**

**Love, **

**Aly!**


	16. Chapter Sixteen:Resurrection!

Broken!

Chapter Sixteen:Resurrection!

_Recap:_Hermione opened her mouth to speak again, but then a barn owl swooped and dropped an envelope in Draco's hands. He tore it open and as soon as he looked up the color was drained from his face. His lips contained an almost blue hue. Hermione's gut twisted, "Draco, what's wrong?"

Draco looked down at the paper again and than back at her, "I-Dumbledore needs to see me. Something's very wrong..." Then his knees buckled under him. Blaise and Hermione ran to him. Hermione's face was contorted in anger at fate. Why must it give her happiness and then rip from her? Why was fate so cruel?

Cycles rule our lives, or at least it seems so. We all go through individual periods of time upon which our heart either soars or, in a way, dies. Life keeps moving even when our hearts scream for it to stop, even when everything threatens to overwhelm us. It is in that moment, though, that upon which things spill over and we can't take a single more thing, that part of who we are dies. Those moments that exist in all of our lives, those which guarantee tears and pain, shape us and bid us make the wall surrounding our hearts stronger. We all live through the very moments that tear our souls apart and stomp on our hearts, and as we move past them it is that we realize part of the innocence we had died along the way. Part of the light which we're supposed to carry with us at all times was lost amidst all the darkness that surround our lives, our world, at the time we go through all these things. All the pain and loss that shape us bid part of who we are goodbye, for it is in that moment upon which we decide to not let that particular thing hurt us again. Yet, through it all, we don't realize that resurection can be the only thing to save us.

Lost innocence is the single most particular thing our unconscious mind clings to, but the single thing most easy to let go of when the heart is bruised. The corruptions that turn the world upside down keep going, even when we let go of that part of us which we think will never come back to haunt us. What most don't understand is that that innocence we carry in the bottom drawer of our souls is the thing that gives us the strength to live in a world full of pitch dark. For those who are lucky enough to realize that a treasure is lost, resurection of that person whom they used to be is the only logical answer. Life is meant to be lived, and if it cannot be enjoyed because of the bitterness we carry then it is not a life at all. If that innocence is lost and only bitterness rules us then the only thing to do is to resurect that whom we used to be. Then, if we can't do it alone, the next thing to do is to make sure that we have someone strong enough to carry us to the light and resurrect who we were.

Hermione Granger found herself staring at her hands, sitting on the overstuffed couch in the living room. Her lips were red and swollen for she kept on biting them to keep from screaming. Her whole body willed her let go of all of her emotions, the anger, the hurt, but she could not let herself do anything, because she knew the second Draco walked in he would need everything she had to offer. Then, the second she found a way to get Blaise back, he would need all the nurturing his mother had never been able to give him.

Her mind was spinning and her heart was racing. She had wished so badly to go with Draco to Dumbledore's office, but he had insisted upon her staying and waiting for him. Her whole body was tense with worry for him. When he had collapsed it felt as if part of her had fallen with him. Neither he nor she knew what Dumbledore had to say, but it was as if they were but one person. She could feel his worry, she could feel his racing heart. Above all else, though, she could feel his fear. It didn't help anything that Blaise had had to leave only minutes after Draco had gone to Dumbledore's office.

She couldn't believe how his mother dared call him home. Hermione had never truly hated anyone, but she hated now. She hated a woman she didn't know, a woman who she never wished to meet, she hated the woman that had denied Blaise's broken soul comfort. She hated Blaise's mother just as much as she hated Draco's father. She hated them more for hurting her boys than she hated the man that had killed her parents and hurt her. She despised them more then she could ever dispise anyone that did her wrong.

The door swung open and Hermione sprang to her feet in a flurry. Draco staggered into the room with a pallid face and a bleeding lip. Hermione ran to him and then sat him on the couch. She stared into his eyes with anxiousness trying desperately to read what had happened. "Draco, what's wrong?" she asked as she wiped the blood away from his bottom lip with her finger.

Draco stared at her with an expression that encompassed coolness and pure grief, "Sh-she's dead."

"Who Draco? Draco, who's dead?" Hermione asked him staring at him with pure fear.

"Narcissa...Hermione, she killed herself," Draco said with a voice cold as ice.

"What? It can't be true...Draco are you sure?" Hermione asked, her face full of astonishment.

"They found her in the tub with a bottle of poison on the floor. She drank it, she's dead, she left me," Draco stated looking straight forward.

Hermione grabbed his face in her hands and forced him to look at her. She didn't know what to say. Her eyes searched his desperately trying to get him to talk to her. "Draco, I don't know what to tell you."

Draco looked down at her and his voice cracked as he said, "She left me, Hermione. She left me alone again."

Hermione's heart turned cold when he saw crystal tears run down Draco's ibory skin. He had always been there for her, she didn't know what to make of him now. She didn't know if she was strong like he had been for her. Then again, she had to be, there was no choice.

"She left me. Narcissa left me again...how could she? How could she be so weak?" Draco asked her with pure bitterness in his voice.

"Draco, she was your mother. She loved you...she couldn't have killed herself," Hermione told him, uncertainty fully heard in her voice.

"Why should I be surprised? I've always been alone. Everyone I have ever cared about have always left me. Everyone I have ever loved has hurt me, everyone I have ever loved have been nothing but weak," Draco said as another tears escaped his staring eyes.

Hermione's stomach churned with pain as his words reached her. She stared at him as her eyes filled with pools of tears. He had hurt her more than he had realized. He had hurt her more than she had realized he could. Draco stared back at her and it was as if he was staring right through her.

"I have, and will always, be there for you, Draco Malfoy. Don't you dare think for a second I will ever leave you. I hear it in your voice, you think I will leave too, don't you? Well that's too bad, because I won't leave you. Fine, so she was weak. Fine, I may be weak for myself, but I promise you that I will be strong for you. Don't you dare think I'll leave. If anything, I can assure you you'll never be rid of me," Hermione told him passionately.

He looked into her eyes and then away. Hermione pulled his face towards her again. She made him look at her and said, "I love you, Draco. Can't you realize that? Can't you realize that you love me too?"

She didn't know what had prompted her to say that, and he didn't know what prompted him to say this, "I don't know how to love. I forgot to way too long ago."

Hermione looked at him pleadingly. "If you can't love than I can teach you. If you can't love than I can love enough for both of us."

"Hermione, she left me," Draco said in a voice Hermione had never heard him use. It was the voice not of the man in front of her, but of the child left in the darkness. Her tears spilled as she heard the desperation in his voice. That voice called for love, the love he had been denied for years.

"Draco, she loved you. I love you...please, don't let this-don't let this kill the last bit of innocence left in you," Hermione pleaded with a soft voice.

"She never loved me. He never loved me. Maybe that's why the part of me that could love died," he said in a hollow voice.

"Draco-"

"Hermione, I've felt so hollow inside. For years, even after Blaise...I've felt so empty. Then you came along and I've been feeling things I don't want to feel. Those feeling only lead to pain...I don't want to hurt anymore. I won't let myself be hurt again," Draco said looking at Hermione directly in the eyes.

"Draco, I will never hurt you. Believe me, please. I would never do anything that would make you hurt, I promise you that. It's okay for you to love. I sware it's okay for you to love," Hermione said looking at him.

"I don't think I even remember how."

"Then I'll teach you. I'll bring you back again."

At that moment brought her lips up to Draco Malfoy's for a tentive kiss. He froze for a moment, but in the next he kissed her back. Hermione could think of nothing else but the feel of his soft mouth against hers and how wonderfully perfect it felt as their tongues interwined. She kissed him passionately with everything she had to offer. She would resurect him.

She decided she would bring back to life the innocence so long forgotten. As they laid down on the couch and she nervously took off his clothes she decided she would teach him what love was again, because it was then that she realized he had taught her how to love. Hermione Granger decided that no matter what she thought or felt, she had to be strong for the man she now realized she love. She had to resurrect the love he had learned to put down. She had to let him live!

* * *

**Hello again, everyone. I bet you weren't expecting this to happen, mwhahahaha! Please REVIEW and tell me what you thought. I know I haven't written in a really long time but I've been mad crazy with school and everything. I really hope you guys understand and I truly wish you guys like this peice. Please, Please REVIEW, because I love to hear what you guys have to say about this story. Oh, by the way...Happy (past) Halloween! Oh, and, Happy (future) Thanksgiving!**

**Love, **

**Aly.**


	17. Chapter Seventeen:Truth!

Broken!

Chapter Seventeen:Truth!

_Recap:_She decided she would bring back to life the innocence so long forgotten. As they laid down on the couch and she nervously took off his clothes she decided she would teach him what love was again, because it was then that she realized he had taught her how to love. Hermione Granger decided that no matter what she thought or felt, she had to be strong for the man she now realized she loved. She had to resurrect the love he had learned to put down. She had to let him live!

As long as humans have existed lies became part of life. We live our lives in search for truths which we have all learned to supress in order to protect ourselves from the parts of life we wish to forget. As time transpires, so do our lies, and as they grow so does the fear of the truth coming out in the clear. Now, lies aren't told by everyone at every moment of their lives, but they are, however, recited by various people in the world every single second of every hour of eternal time. Knowing this, it seems strange that we choose to waste so much of the little time we have to spend on earth covering lies that threaten to tell who we really are. It's kind of awe-striking to think of how much of that time could be saved and devoted to other things, particularly invoking and doing things that would lead us to the prize we seek; happiness. Then, it is even more so to know that all the weight those lies compress on our hearts could have been so easly avoided if fear didn't get in the way to peace. It is then that the phrase, "The truth shall set you free," comes to play. Because no matter how cliche it may sound, no truer words have ever been spoken.

Truth, such an uncanny thing for the time and place in which we live in. Yet, if we managed to gather enough courage to actually say what was meant instead of all those lies the wind whispers, how much easier living life could be. Truth, at first sight, seems to be like the ultimate enemy we spend our lives avoiding. Isn't it ironic then that truth comes to us only to truly set us free? Isn't it ironic that which we fear above all else is something so pure, that not even life could match it. Truth is not just the utterance of phrased emotions. Truth speaks of the hidden courage we hold within our hearts that can come out even when fear rules our souls. Truth is telling that which is buried deep within, the deepest secret we hold, in defiance to a relentless fear of rejection we all hold. Truth then becomes the single thing that can in the end bring the closest thing on earth to peace, even if turmoil rules its beginning. Yes, truth, maybe just the utterances of phrased emotions, can have the power, as the phrase says, to set the soul free. What else could we want then, if not to finally be able take flight?

Hermione Granger found herself sitting on a toiled inside her bathroom. Her head, covered in messy hair, laid in her hands as her pale face moved from side to side in disbelief. She looked at the skys in despair, her eyes seemingly roaming the aboves for an answer to her feared belief. Her mouth was swollen and red from her continious biting. Hermione could not believe what was happening to her. As she pulled her legs to her chest, still sitting on the toilet, she found herself reminiscing the past whirlwind three weeks she had spent endlessly worrying. The thought that she was still too young for any of things happening to her kept intruding her thoughts and she shook herself to also remember that although the saying was cliche it was the truth, ''Life wasn't fair.''

Her thoughts were suddenly disturbed as someone knocked on the door. Hermione looked up and as Draco Malfoy questioned, "Hermione, are you okay in there?" her words caught in her throat and before she could answer she found herself coming face to face with the toilet and throwing up the little she had been able to eat. Everything seemed to be too much again. Again, she felt like it would be so much easier if she could run away. Everything would be so much better if she didn't have to leave her perch in the bathroom and face the two men that awaited her return.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hermione yelled at the door. She quickly stood up and flushed the toilet and it's contents. The cold water from the bathroom sink made her suddenly more alert and as she toweled her face dry, and as she looked at herself, she couldn't help but notice how sunken her cheeks looked. What she wouldn't give to be one of those heroines that were written about that persevered through tough times without a scratch on them.

Hermione pulled herself together and stepped out, walking towards the living room. "Hermione,'' cried Blaise stepping up to her. He had only gotten back the day before and bore the traces of the damned love only his mother and her new husband were able to give. Hermione bit her lip harder, bordering on tearing the skin, as she looked up at his dark face with a palid touch of exhaust. Huge bags haunted his eyes revealing he strenous worry he harbored.

She pulled him towards the sofa and fell with him upon it. Last night he had gotten home so late they hadn't been able to talk. Both Draco and she were able to tell how exhausted he was, but even as they saw him to bed he couldn't close his eyes for more than a minute. Draco had wanted to talk to him then and there, but Hermione forced him to leave him there alone to seek a few hours of rest she could see he needed.

"What happened?" Draco bluntly asked sitting across from them on an overstuffed chair that Hermione felt sure was completely uncomfortable. Draco, however, didn't seem to notice as his full attention was devoted to his friend and his hesitance to detail everything that had happened in the weeks he had been away.

Hermione gave Draco a pointed look then gently asked Blaise, "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"No, but by the death rays Draco's giving me, I guess I have no choice," answered Blaise with the first hint of a smile they had seen.

"Well then spill it, man, we don't have eternity here," Draco impatiently prompted.

"We could, you know. I mean, we could all get bitten by vampires and turn into the undead," Blaise joked obviously avoiding the subject.

Hermione placed her hand ontop of his and said, "Blaise, please.''

Blaise looked at her with heavy lids and heaved a sigh, "My mother is pregnant. Can you believe it? She's pregnant and now she doesn't know what to do. She called me to her not to give me the news with joy, oh no, she wanted me to arrange a way for her little ''problem'' to be erased. How, just how can she say that? How can she even think that she has the right to deny a little person, _her_ baby, for God's sake, the right to live?"

Hermione paled at his explanation and asked, "What happened? What did you do?"

Blaise rubbed his face with his hands and gently laying his head on them replied, "What could I do? Oh no, don't give me that look. Of course I didn't arrange for an abortion, even if that woman that chooses to call herself my mother doesn't have one, I have a heart. I couldn't do anything like that. So, in my great stupidity I chose to tell her dearest husband.''

"Blaise, what did he do?" questioned Draco getting up and sitting like a child in rapt attention at his feet.

Blaise looked down at him and smiled, "That beast almost tore me in half for 'lying', can you believe it? Then my mom came in and told him that it was true.'' Blaise looked away with a hurt look and continued, ''You should have seen how bored she seemed telling him. The idiot went from angry to happy so fast that I sware he's bipolar. My mother smiled to him and as soon as he left she went to her room and drank a potion to rid herself of the baby. I had to stop her and because her husband didn't know what to do and went to get drunk every night, I was stuck nursing her back to health.''

"Did she kill the baby?" Hermione asked with alarm.

"No, the potion wasn't strong enough. It was, however, so potent that it went into her bloodstream and almost killed her. Three weeks of seeing her battle her way back to life tore me inside, then as soon as she woke up and yelled at me for stopping her made me sick enough that I had to leave. So here I am, aren't I a lucky bastard?" Blaise finished in a bitter tone.

"Is she okay now, Blaise? You can't leave her alone to die," Draco said in an even voice.

Blaise looked at him and said, "Of course I didn't leave her alone, part of her notorious fortune is now paying for a St. Mungo's nurse to keep a close watch on her. For all that she's done I don't really think she deserves it, but I'll be damned if she denies another person the right to live happily. She may not want that baby, but if she won't take care of it then I will.''

Hermione stared at Blaise and said to him, "No offense, but I am really starting to detest your mother, even if I don't know her.''

Blaise pulled her close to him and hugging her let out with a hollow laugh,"Well at least you're not alone. Slowly, but surely I'm getting there too. If God exists he sure wasted a life on her.''

Draco joined them on the couch and they sat there for a long time in silence enjoying being together again. The silence was broken by Blaise soon enough, ''Hermione, we've discussed how messed up I am, but what's wrong with you?"

Hermione let out an obvious fake laugh and said, "Nothing is wrong with me. I'm fine, I'm better than fine, I'm good.''

"Hermione, you're smiling so big I'm afraid you'll stay that way forever, quit it. We all know you're not okay, now fess up and tell us what's wrong," Draco almost ordered in a worried tone.

Hermione stood up and stood in front of them, "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine and don't tell me what to do."

Blaise and Draco both cracked similar smiles. Those smiles, however, soon disspeared as Hermione ran to the bathroom clutching her stomach. Both Blaise and Draco ran after her and as Hermione sat throwing up they held her hair back. After finishing Hermione looked up at both of them with tears in her eyes. They weren't tears of sorrow by any means, but her body was shaking so badly after having thrown up so many times that it physically hurt.

Draco pulled her into his arms and held her as tears streamed down her face. Blaise was behind her rubbing comforting circles on her back. Draco and Blaise looked at each other in alarm, neither knowing what to do, except to hold Hermione. The feeling of utter ineptitude they both felt making them angry at themselves while their hearts ached at seeing Hermione cry.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Draco questioned with a certain edge of urgency to his voice.

Hermione suddenly stood up and wiping her face with her hands strode away from them into their living room. They followed her and as Hermione continued pacing back and forth across the room they halted her by taking a hold of her arm. She looked up at both of them, her eyes wide with utter worry. She didn't know how she would be able to tell them. Actually, she didn't know if she could say it at all, because once she spoke it everything would be real, and at that moment that was the last thing that she wanted.

Blaise looked at her and asked the same question Draco had asked only moments before, "Hermione, what's wrong?"

Hermione took a step away from them and took in deep breaths. She felt as if she was going to faint but knew, as she looked up at them worry creased into their features, that she had to tell them even if she feared she might lose them. She had to tell them, even if it meant running into the jaws of the very thing she had spent the past two days running away from. Finally, staring into their eyes and inhaling a deep breath, she said, "I'm pregnant...''

No one moved, no one said anything. Looking at them Hermione felt like burying herself in a deep hole and never seeing them again. Shock was etched on their faces and Hermione felt like she couldn't breath. Not being able to take the challenging silence she started to rant on, "It's okay. You don't have to say anything, I'll take care of it. I don't know how, but you won't have to worry about it. I mean, it was my fault, I know, I won't bother you Draco. Please, please don't be mad...I'll figure it out. I will, I'll fix it...''

She continued to say a bunch of nonsense but at that moment Draco fell to his knees in front of her, tears in his eyes, and hugged her. His heart was hammering in his chest with shock and excitement, but above all a happiness he had never felt. He pressed his face to her stomach and wrapped his hands around her waist and in the smallest of utterances he whispered, "Hermione, oh, Hermione...''

Hermione looked down at him, her heart, just like his, pounding. She looked from Draco to Blaise who caught her gaze and stepped in heartbeat closer to her. He grabbed her hands and hugged both Draco and her. Blaise took a deep shuddering breath, one of his hands holding Hermione's, the other running through his hair, and let out with a breathy laugh, "Well, well, well, haven't we been busy these past few weeks?" Hermione looked at them and releasing a breath of her own she could only feel their pillar-like presence and could only hear the sonorous sound of her heart.

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**Hello, hello everyone! How are you all? I'm so sorry for such a long wait, but my inspirational mojo kind of left me for a while. I hope you all liked the twist. I know it was unexpected, but what great twist isn't? Am I right or am I right? PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK AND REVIEW! Heart felt thank yous' from your humble servant.**

**Love, **

**Aly.**


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Accpetance!

Broken!

Chapter Eighteen: Acceptance!

_Recap:_ Hermione looked down at him, her heart, just like his, pounding. She looked from Draco to Blaise who caught her gaze and stepped in heartbeat closer to her. He grabbed her hands and hugged both Draco and her. Blaise took a deep shuddering breath, one of his hands holding Hermione's, the other running through his hair, and let out with a breathy laugh, "Well, well, well, haven't we been busy these past few weeks?" Hermione looked at them and releasing a breath of her own she could only feel their pillar-like presence and could only hear the sonorous sound of her heart.

For all of human kind the most beautiful thing is perceived to be birth, the most awful death, and the most terrifying responsibility. Our minds, our hearts, and our fears ruling each individually. Perhaps it is this that makes it amazing how all intertwine when a new life comes after a horrible death demanding responsibility even from those who fear it most. Innocence combines all of life, demanding to be taught, forcing the most feeble hearted to pull together in order to satisfy the endless need of innocence to understand. It is a magnificent puzzle to try and understand how a child brings about the best in one just after the worst had been seen.

A child cares not about one's fear; an innocent literally cries to be acknowledged. The fear that accompanies such responsibility is immense and the hope to do good grand. A child pulls, handles, twists all of your emotions and forces you to see what you're capable of. Yet knowing all this, all the fear and uncertainty, it is not then unbelievable that the hardest thing about the most beautiful gift is accepting it. We're blinded by fear, until a child weaves it's magic and you understand that although fear preys on your mind, simultaneously, hope is planted in your heart. For knowing a life is coming, along with hope, love, curiosity, then only thing left to accept in not only the responsibility of a life and knowing you'll never be the same; the only thing left to accept is that the most beautiful thing on this earth gives the most beautiful gift for it binds even bonds thought broken.

Hermione lay by the lake basking in the sun. Light reflected of the water particles making them shine with ethereal beauty. Enthralled, Hermione stared as the soft ripples the slight breeze caused made their way unending, starting before another could end. Small leaves from the nearby tress lay on the water looking like tiny beautiful gifts stretched along for the beautiful pleasure of the passerby. Her hand lay on top of her yet flat stomach contemplating the beauty that lay about her. She blinked slowly and as she opened her eyes she saw a shadow being cast by the body above hers.

Bolting upright, disturbing the calm beauty around her, Hermione stared at the untidy figure of Harry Potter. She clumsily got to her feet and stared at him, her eyes wide, not knowing what to say. Harry stared at her for what seemed an eternity, his eyes taking in all of her as if he saw for the first time the person in front of him. The look on his face reminded her at the look she had seen on his face as he stared at Dumblemdore's phoenix so many times before.

He opened his mouth as if to speak then closed it again and sat on the ground. Not knowing what to do, Hermione followed suit and joined him. She glanced at his sideways and Harry stared at his hands and opened her mouth so as to speak, but Harry beat her and said, "I knew."

Turning to look at her eyes Harry continued, "I, and Ron, we knew something wasn't right with you. We knew, but we didn't know what to do. Like idiots we thought you'd be okay and like idiots we let you drift apart. We thought if you needed us you would know to come and talk, even if we couldn't be that helpful. We thought, I thought, that you'd be okay, because you're Mione and you're always okay. I knew and I didn't say anything. I knew, though; we noticed, and I wanted you to know that."

Finishing his long monologue Harry looked at Hermione then turned once again to look at the lake, "I haven't been able to sleep since I saw you with Malfoy a month ago and I know it's wrong and that it took too long, but I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Still quiet, Hermione looked more closely at Harry. His usually messy hair was messier than she'd ever seen it and his clothes were wrinkled and askew. His lower lip was red and a bit swollen which she knew was because he had continuously bit is when he was thinking very hard. She had tried to break him of the habit but had failed miserably. Staring at his slightly pallid face, Hermione could see his cheeks were a bit hollow and dark shadows made his brilliant green eyes even brighter.

Finally deciding to talk, Hermione thought out loud, "Harry, if you knew then why didn't you say anything? I know that you thought I would come to you, but, Harry, it was a whole year. Why didn't you ask me what was wrong. I felt ignored and unloved and thought you wanted nothing to do with me."

Taking off his glasses and rubbing his face with his hands Harry responded, "I tried, remember that month that I brought you chocolate every day. I didn't know what else to do and thought if I brought you something sweet maybe you'd feel better. Then remember that time I made you ride a broom with me…I know it seems lame, but I thought, I don't know. I just, I thought maybe I could make you feel better."

Looking at him for a moment Hermione burst out laughing. Harry's head snapped in her direction looking slightly hurt. Hermione sputtered, "No, Harry, don't be mad. It's just, I'd forgotten about the chocolates. You kept bringing me chocolate frogs and Ron single handedly fed me more dessert than any other person in history."

Hermione laughed again and was surprise at the ease with which it came. She had completely forgotten about that month; she had gained at least five pounds. Without thinking, Hermione lunged herself at Harry and gave him a rib cracking hug. He stared at her in surprise and hugged her back. Separating, Hermione gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, "Harry, I know you're trying to bring peace, but I'm not the same person any more," holding up her hand she continued, "Don't interrupt. You're different too and so is Ron. I was so lost in myself that I didn't even see you trying to help me. It was my mistake, but I still do love you, and I still love Ron. That, however, doesn't change that I also love Draco and Blaise."

Closing his eyes and laying his head on his curled knees, Harry muttered, "I don't understand Hermione. I tried, but I don't get it. I don't know how you could forgive them for all that they did to us and I don't see how you can care for them. Ron and I, we've been over it, but we just don't understand."

Hermione looked at him in surprise and asked, "Ron knows?"

"I told him everything that happened. The bloke, Hermione, he didn't shout, he didn't look angry, he didn't do anything. He looked at me and walked away. I found him riding his broom two hours later and then we talked. Even if you think we don't care about you, Hermione, believe me, we do. Just because we were to stupid to understand you and even though we didn't know," Harry paused taking a deep breath, "even though we didn't know about you're parents…I, we, we still love you."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but Harry stumbled on, "It was our fault. I take responsibility. Even Ron knew that you had been getting closer to Zabini and Malfoy. I know, right, I was surprised too. It's killing him, Hermione, because he didn't know what to do. He thinks it's all his fault and when he saw you with them after Draco beat that guy up, he blamed himself. He was going to come with me today, but then he couldn't muster up the courage to face you. He said he didn't know what he would do if he saw you."

Hermione stared down at her hands in a great imitation of Harry and said, "I love you guys, Harry, and I know this is a peace offering. I want to take it so badly, but I think you'll hate me."

Harry looked at her and cracked a cheeky grin, "Does that mean you don't hate us, because I swear I came prepared to be jinxed by you. Mione, I just want to be friends with you. I want to understand; I won't ask you to let go of your new…" Harry swallowed and looked away, "_friends_. I just want to understand you. I love you, we love you. I know it will take time, Mione, I'm not that much of a brute, but come back to us. Please, just come back to us."

Hermione looked at him and put her head down as a tear escaped her eyes, "Would you want me back even if I told you I was pregnant? Would you want me back even if I told you I fell in love with Draco?"

Harry looked at her in astonishment and opened his mouth and closed it again. He looked at her stomach and looking behind her shoulder he said, "Ron…"

Hermione stood up and gazed in shock at a pale Ron who was staring at her stomach. "You're pr-pregnant?" Ron asked her looking as if he was going to faint.

Looking back and forth between them Hermione felt her stomach drop at the hurt and betrayed looks that danced on their faces. She closed her eyes as more tears escaped her and she choked out, "Yes, I'm pregnant. I'm also terrified and I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm so sorry about everything."

Ron watched her as she dropped to the ground then went down to her level and picked up her chin with his index finger, "You're the dumbest smart person I've ever met. You should be mad at us, not the other way around. I know it's not fair that we feel hurt, but it's true. Right now, though, You're the one that matters. How did this happen?"

Hermione looked at him incredulously. She looked to her left as Harry plopped on the ground beside her. "I, we…after Harry found out and was so angry I retreated into myself and Draco helped me. I don't know how, but I love him now. I do and he's so great. I know you don't believe me, but he's so happy and I'm so scared. There's so much to him and Blaise you don't understand. I'm sorry about everything, I am, you guys. I love him, though, really."

Hermione burst into tears and at their slightly scared expressions she said, "I'm just so _scared_. I don't know what to do. He wants the baby, but it's still so scary. I know I'm not alone, but this wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know how to feel. I mean, beneath being scared I'm happy; I know I am. It's just that I'm too busy panicking. I can't talk to Draco and Blaise because they're so excited. I don't know what to do."

Harry gathered her into his arms as Ron stared dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. Slowly he moved to join them and from his robes, he brought out a tiny toy cow that said 'MOO' very loudly when he presented it Hermione. Hermione burst out laughing even through her tears. It was then, laughing and crying in Harry's arms, holding Ron's toy cow that Draco and Blaise found them. Everyone stopped and looked at one another. Hermione stood between both sets of boys. Draco and Blaise were staring behind her back and as Ron and Harry stared at Draco and Blaise, Draco was the only one to catch Harry's hurt look as he glanced at Hermione's stomach.

Hermione's stomach twisted into a knot as she looked at them and pleaded, "Boys, please behave…"

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**I'm BACK!!! Sorry that's it's been 2 years. I feel like writing again and here you go. Thank you to all my fans and please REVIEW. I'm older now and would plead you to forgive my past immature mistakes. Thank you for reading.**

**-Aly.**


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Acceptance Part 2

Broken!

Chapter Nineteen: Acceptance!

_Recap: _Harry gathered her into his arms as Ron stared dumbfounded, not knowing what to do. Slowly he moved to join them and from his robes, he brought out a tiny toy cow that said 'MOO' very loudly when he presented it Hermione. Hermione burst out laughing even through her tears. It was then, laughing and crying in Harry's arms, holding Ron's toy cow that Draco and Blaise found them. Everyone stopped and looked at one another. Hermione stood between both sets of boys. Draco and Blaise were staring behind her back and as Ron and Harry stared at Draco and Blaise, Draco was the only one to catch Harry's hurt look as he glanced at Hermione's stomach.

Hermione's stomach twisted into a knot as she looked at them and pleaded, "Boys, please behave…"

As our paths twist, wind, break, and are made there is nothing left for one to do but accept that the changes that occur are inevitable. Life is not stagnant, therefore change occurs not simply because one brings it about but because one simply is. Existence is the threshold of alterations and our bodies and minds mere miniscule threads in a beautifully chaotic tapestry, life. Life which intertwines all of what we are with what we could be. It opens doors that hold immense opportunity and gives us one tool, one choice, to allow all the opportunity offered to suddenly become innate within us. The realization that acceptance is the only tool we hold to become who we can be acts as the spool that gracefully joins all the fibers of life. The question then is, knowing all this, why is accepting we cannot alter that which has a life of its own one of the hardest parts of living? The choice does not cease even with fear, however; the choice is yours. It is there to take…the choice remains.

Hermione sat with her face in her hands, her hair shadowing her face. Exasperated and exhausted she looked up and looked Ron and Harry sitting on a fluffy white couch opposite Blaise and Draco who each in turn glared at the opposite pair from their seats on a mirror couch. Shadows from the massive fireplace danced along their faces and particularly incandesced Draco's almost translucent skin.

Standing from her place on the floor Hermione permitted a loud exasperated sound to escape from her lips, "Will the four of you stop it? We're here trying to solve our differences."

Draco's mouth twitched as if he was about to say something caustic but caught Hermione's gaze and quieted. Blaise, however, spat, "_We're_ not trying to solve anything. There's nothing to solve," pointing to Harry and Ron he continued, "Those two pricks have done nothing but hurt you and can quite honestly kiss my ass."

Ron jumped up red faced and fuming and barked, "We're the pricks? _Us_? What about you two, Zabini? Don't you give me that look you asshole. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Did you suddenly forget all those times you called Hermione a Mudblood? Did you just conveniently forget how you not only insulted all of us but made her cry?"

"Shut up, Weasel-bee!" Draco cried angrily. "You have no idea what the fuck you're talking about. We were the ones that were there when she needed us, _us_, not you. Did you know she tried to kill herself? Why so shocked, freckle face? Can't believe we were the ones to stop her. Damn straight it was us. We were there when you had your head stuck up your ass."

All four were standing fists at their sides. Hermione glared at them and fumed, "Shut up! SHUT UP ALL OF YOU! I'm trying to get you to see that there's good in all of you. If you would just shut up for one second you would see that none of you are as different as you think!"

Draco looked at her with a hurt look on his face and silently hissed, "They are _nothing_ like us. They are nothing like me."

"Oh for pete's sake," cried Hermione. She walked to Draco and pushed him down on the couch and glared at Blaise until he followed suit. Turning her angry look at Ron and Harry she pointed at the couch. Both silently sat still glaring at the opposite two.

"I brought you to the Room of Requirements so that we would have some privacy and discuss things like civilized human beings. If continue to shout or argue, call each other names, or say any type of obscenity about each other I will walk out of this room and leave you here until you stop," Hermione stated with pointing at them with a threatening finger.

She began to pace up and down the room agitatedly. "I'm trying to let you see that I care about all of you and I'm asking for my sake to try and get along. I'm not asking for a miracle; I just ask for a little civility. You, however, just fight and fight. I mean, what am I supposed to do?" She paused abruptly and with a surprised look placed a hand on her lower stomach.

Draco jumped to his feet and went to her, "Hermione, are you okay?"

Pushing his hand out of the way Hermione replied, "I'm fine. Go back and sit down. I'm so not finished chewing you out."

Draco pushed his lower lip out and moved to do as she asked. As he turned Hermione grabbed on to his arms and bent her knees. Turning around Draco worriedly asked, "Hermione, what's wrong? Is it the baby?"

Hermione silently nodded and went to her knees. She grimaced in pain as she felt a hard pull on her stomach. She cried out as she felt a sort of wetness between her legs. She looked up to find Harry, Ron, and Blaise hovering on top of her.

"Quick, pick her up. We have to get her to Madame Pomfrey," Harry said as he simultaneously ran and opened the door.

All four ran through the empty halls; it was late afternoon and all the students were enjoying the end of dinner. They sped by portraits that called out in surprise and didn't pause until they reached the infirmary. A surprised looking Madame Pomfrey jumped from her desk and hurried to meet the students and ordered them to gently lay Hermione on a bed.

"What happened? What did you do to her, you buffoons?" Madame Pomfrey asked as she fussed with Hermione, checking her pulse.

Without hesitating Draco announced, "She's pregnant and something's wrong with the baby. We were just talking and she just kind of collapsed on me and we hurried to bring her here."

Madame Pomfrey stared at him in shock and said, "Pr-pregnant? The girl is pregnant? What, but this is Ms. Granger. She wouldn't, I mean…How far is she along?"

"About two, two and a half months," Blaise volunteered going to touch Hermione.

Slapping his hand away Madame Pomfrey questioned, "Was she arguing? Was she in an agitated state when she collapsed?"

Looking at Hermione Harry urgently retorted, "Yes. She was trying to get us to be friendly and we weren't cooperating. Madame Pomfrey, is she going to be okay?"

Madame Pomfrey stopped abruptly and said, "I don't know. I think she will be fine but I don't know what will happen with, with the child. Now go wait outside, I must administer some spells and some potions. Go, go, what are you waiting for?"

All four slowly left glancing at Hermione's writhing form clutching the already wrinkled blankets in pain. They stopped once outside the infirmary and quietly stood there. Ron nervously paced up and down the hall until Harry snapped at him and said, "Stop, will you? I'm already nervous as it is."

Ron abruptly stopped and angrily spat, "What do you suggest I do then, hmm? I'm worried!"

"We're all worried, Weasley! You're pacing isn't going to change what happened, so please stop. Potter is right, you're just making everyone more nervous," Zabini stated as he popped his fingers.

Minutes later, licking his dry lips and with a pallid face, Draco said, "This is our fault. We have to stop fighting. Hermione is in danger because of us and if she looses our child because of a stupid argument, I will never forgive myself."

Looking forward at Harry and Ron he tried to swallow, feeling his heart in his mouth, and forced out, "I don't like you two. You don't like us. You can hate me for all I care, but I'm willing to do anything for Hermione. I will accept you two if you can accept we love her. I'm in love with her Potter, even if you don't like it. We have to deal with anything we don't like, because the only one that matters is her."

Ron looked at Harry and nodded. Harry stared at him then turned to look at Malfoy, "I'll accept you. For her, we'll pretend we don't want to hex you on the spot. Don't forget, thought, that I don't trust you. I don't trust you one bit and if you break her heart, if you hurt her in any way, I will break you."

"_We _will break you," Ron stated moving closer to Harry's back.

Looking into each other's eyes with so much intensity that could easily be called anger, Draco rigidly stuck out his hand. Harry looked down at it and resisting the urge to pull back Harry stepped forward and took it in a steel like grasp. Stepping back the separated to opposite sides. After what seemed like an eternity Madame Pomfrey hurried to them, wiping her wet hands on her dirty apron.

The boys assaulted her with questions until she held up her hand and shushed them, "She's okay for the moment. She's stable and awake. If you would like to talk to her I will allow one of you to visit her. She can't be overwhelmed and she needs sleep."

Stepping forward Ron said, "I'll go."

Putting his hand out to stop him Harry looked at his face and shook his head, "No, Draco will go. It's his baby." Looking at Draco, Harry nodded to the door in an ushering motion.

Draco nodded his head and walked towards Hermione. His heart seemed to break as he finally found her with tear stained cheeks and matted hair. Her face was pale and her eyes huge. She looked frail and fragile and he wanted nothing more to gather her into his arms and promise to protect her from anything bad in the world.

Hermione looked at him and painfully slowly pulled herself up and moved to him. She hugged him to her and cried into his chest. Draco held her close and whispered in her ear, "Are you okay? My love, oh my love. Are you and the baby okay?"

Looking up at his eyes Hermione answered in a shaky voice, "The baby and I are okay."

Draco began to shake and felt as if his knees would give out at any second. She clung to her as she whispered, "We almost lost our baby. We almost lost our baby."

That's how Harry found them as he gazed at them from the open doors. He saw how Hermione's shaking hands pulled Draco closer and saw with a mixture of relief and pain as Draco kissed her pallid lips. He struggled with his emotions as they went from joy and happiness to pain and uncertainty. Above all, Harry felt relief as he had never felt it and beneath that regret as his heart gave a painful twinge and his mind whispered that he felt sorry it wasn't him to whom she cried. His heart and mind whispered he felt sorry it wasn't him who would promise to keep her safe, that it wasn't him to whom she clang and held close.

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**Please Review. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I enjoyed writing it. Tell me what you think and ask me any questions you have. If you have any ideas I want to heart them. Thank you for reading.**

**-Aly.**


	20. Chapter Twenty: Motion!

Broken!

Chapter Twenty: Motion!

_Recap: _That's how Harry found them as he gazed at them from the open doors. He saw how Hermione's shaking hands pulled Draco closer and saw with a mixture of relief and pain as Draco kissed her pallid lips. He struggled with his emotions as they went from joy and happiness to pain and uncertainty. Above all, Harry felt relief as he had never felt it and beneath that regret as his heart gave a painful twinge and his mind whispered that he felt sorry it wasn't him to whom she cried. His heart and mind whispered he felt sorry it wasn't him who would promise to keep her safe, that it wasn't him to whom she clang and held close.

When the heart aches and the mind seeks refuge our first instinct is to dwell upon that which causes us pain, regret, hurt, or suffering. As a human law, however, we know that this instinct, although righteously ours, is more often than not wrong. To succumb to our desire to understand or to make better that which betrays our hearts acts as an entry way for continued self pity. Motion then seems to be the only way out, for to move allows us not to dwell and in not dwelling, it allows us to once again feel whole. Psychological or physical though the hurt may be, motion entertains our relief. Motion, although beautifully chaotic at times, acts to alleviate that which we thought never to heal. Motion, time's companion, becomes another part of the magic that is life. Motion, neither hectic nor stagnant, after all, brings serenity even to the most troubled hearts.

Wild ringlets shone like fire as the light from the candles danced upon it casting shadows on the young woman's face. Her brown eyes glinted as she slowly blinked looking down at her exposed stomach. Her white shirt wrinkled beneath her chest as her hands delicately explored her already slightly hardened stomach. Slowly sitting up, almost as if afraid to interrupt the serenity of the night, she unbuttoned her jeans and curled her legs beneath her relishing as her naked feet brushed the soft white covers. Reaching towards the night stand where an ornate white candle flamed, her hand lifted a vial that held within it a beautiful peach oil that came to life, glittering, as if the flames contained its soul.

Pouring some oil onto her hands, she gently began to rub it in soothing circles on her lower abdomen. Her stomach lighted with magnificent color as the light glinted upon it before the oil became translucent. Staring adoringly at her shiny golden stomach she opened her lips and began to whisper, "Mon cherie, mon bébé, vous serez la meilleure chose que je jamais ; vous êtes le meilleur que je pourrais jamais donner. Vous êtes mon amour, mon bébé, et je ne vous laisse jamais partir. Je suis votre mère."

Pausing to take a deep breath and releasing it, staring transfixed as her stomach contracted, she softly continued, "Je suis désolé que je vous aie presque perdu. Je ne me suis jamais senti si délaissé qu'à ce moment. J'ai perdu mes parents et j'ai été effrayé quand j'ai découvert au sujet de vous, mais je ne partirai jamais." Looking down she smiled affectionately and continued, "Comment ai osé je jamais laissez-vous, ma cerise, si je suis déjà tombé amoureux de vous. J'espère que vous m'aimez aussi, parce que je ne cesserai jamais de vous aimer."

Looking up as the door creaked open, Hermione Granger watched with a soft expression as Draco Malfoy came to her side. She was forever enamored of the way his body gracefully stalked rather than walked and how his pale skin seemed to shine whenever light hit it. She looked at his hands as they touched her stomach and added with a whisper in English, "I hope you have his hands. Il est votre père."

Draco looked at her startled and in a quiet voice asked, "You can speak French?"

Smiling, feeling as if she was going to burst with happiness for no apparent reason, Hermione put her small olive hand on his pale one and brought it to her lips. Kissing the inside of his hand and looking up at him she answered, "My great-great grandmother came from France and I often went to visit one of my great aunts there. I learned when I was a little girl."

Draco cracked a smile and sitting on the bed he kissed her lips softly. Bringing his head down he whispered into her stomach, "Don't listen to her, baby. Your mother is beautiful, but she's still crazy."

With his hands at her sides Draco looked into her eyes and at her petulant gaze gave an intoxicatingly contagious laugh. Trying to hold back from laughing Hermione bit her lip even as the sides of her lips twisted upwards revealing tiny dimples just above the end of her lips. Draco stared at her mouth and then looked into her eyes as he declared, "I love it when you do that. You look so beautiful, so beautiful Hermione."

Tilting her head, her head falling in front of her left shoulder, Hermione opened her mouth and spoke, "I was just apologizing to the baby for what happened."

Draco looked at her and reproachfully said, "I thought we were moving on, Mione. I thought you said that you wouldn't dwell on what happened."

"Calm down, okay. I'm not, but I just wanted to apologize to mon cherie," Hermione soothingly calmed him looking down at his hands as they gently lay on her skin.

Slightly frowning at her, Draco bent low again, his hair caressing her stomach, and whispered, "It's her eyes you have to watch out for. You'll see when you get here, she sets her pretty brown eyes on you and she takes your heart. Then she touches you and you'll see, you'll know you're a goner."

Hermione looked down at him and with shining eyes threw her head back and laughed. As she shook with mirth, the light reflected off her auburn hair making it shine in deep gold and almost burn in vibrant red. Throwing her hair back she reached for the white towel that rested behind the towel.

Pushing Draco lightly away, Hermione brought the towel to her stomach and gently wiped it clean. She settled down on the bed and nestled her body on the warm covers. Draco went with her and once again laying his head on her stomach he said, "You'll see, you'll get lost in her too. Oh, I think I can feel something moving."

Laughter emitted from the door as Ron, Blaise, and Harry entered the room each carrying their textbooks in their hands. Blaise looked at Draco and with a soft tilt to his voice spoke, "Draco, the baby is about the size of a bean right now. It's not going to move for a very long time."

Raising herself on her elbows Hermione asked, "You're classes are over?"

"Yeah," Ron volunteered plopping beside her on the bed. Reaching to give her a quick hug he continued, "It was brutal. We were supposed to turn chairs into large birds. As if that's not hard enough we had to say the incantation in our heads. I swear I almost dropped dead with the effort and all I managed to do is make the chair grow a beak."

Harry laughed and nodding he exclaimed, "You should have seen it! His head kept going from red to purple. It was great."

Ron shot Harry a dirty look ignoring the fact he continued laughing. Looking back at Hermione Ron said, "Anyway, the woman's mental. When we asked for your lessons she almost ate our heads."

"Ronald, it's not nice to exaggerate," Hermione said smiling.

"He's not lying, Mione. Seriously, Professor McGonagall said that if we disturbed you and caused the second generation of genius any harm she would turn us into squids," Blaise said while Harry and Ron silently agreed.

Shaking her head in amusement, Hermione grabbed her wand form the nightstand and with a swish of her wand turned the chair nearest to Harry into a large peacock that squawked loudly before turning back into a chair.

"Mione, you're a beast," Ron exclaimed in amazement, running a hand through his hair.

"Why thank you, Ron," Hermione stated with a hand on her stomach.

Harry glanced at her and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Alright. I'm just a bit tired of lying in bed for two weeks, to be honest," Hermione answered finishing with a heavy sigh.

Draco looked at her and reluctantly shared, "Madame Pomfrey said it would be good for you if you took a walk and got some sun. You're not supposed to over exert yourself, though."

Hermione's face lit and clapping her hands she reached for Draco and gave him a loud echoing kiss. "I want to go for a walk now, then," Hermione said standing up and buttoning her pants.

Draco wrapped his arms around her wais from behind and kissed her cheek. "I would love to go with you, but Draco and I have to go to class," he said as Blaised claimed her in a hug and gently kissed her other cheek.

Slightly uncomfortable, Ron glanced sideways and muttered, "I've got to go help Professor Flitwick repair a seat I accidentally blew up."

"I can go with you," a smiling Harry said from where he stood, his eyes shining as the fire from the candles incensed them and called them to life. Draco sternly looked at him as he gently lowered Hermione's wrinkled blouse. After a few moments he lowered his head slowly in a nod of assent.

Looking around her, Hermione felt at home, protected and safe and more elated than she ever felt. As she reached for Harry's hand and waved goodbye she silently acknowledged that for them and for her unborn child she would move on. She would fight not to dwell on her dark past as her bright future awaited her. Motion and time would become her allies as she rediscovered what happiness truly meant. Beside her, looking at their joined hands, Harry Potter decided that he too would not dwell on his feelings. If it meant he could her shining with happiness as she did now, Harry would gladly move along side her even as his heart wished she wanted him to be her companion instead.

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**Alright everyone, I need you to REVIEW or I might NOT CONTINUE this series. I need to know if you're enjoying it or if I should stop. Please REVIEW and if you want to know what all the French meant than google BABEL FISH TRANSLATION and copy and paste. Thank you for reading.**

**-Aly.**


	21. Chapter TwentyOne: Communication!

Broken!

Chapter Twenty-One: Communication!

_Recap: _Looking around her, Hermione felt at home, protected and safe and more elated than she ever felt. As she reached for Harry's hand and waved goodbye she silently acknowledged that for them and for her unborn child she would move on. She would fight not to dwell on her dark past as her bright future awaited her. Motion and time would become her allies as she rediscovered what happiness truly meant. Beside her, looking at their joined hands, Harry Potter decided that he too would not dwell on his feelings. If it meant he could her shining with happiness as she did now, Harry would gladly move along side her even as his heart wished she wanted him to be her companion instead.

As the Tower of Babel fell and all the languages were scattered into millions of different dialects, we too were scattered into millions of different beings. Millions of different cultures and millions of different circumstances lead us to be different from one another, sometimes hindering understanding. Yet, being millions of different people as we are, communication is the key to understanding not only each other, but the ideas with the potential to change the world. Communication, one of the things we take for granted, which can change the universe in one spectacular second, which carries the immense power to tilt the world upside down and cause chaos or upright it and bring about the peace which we also seem to look for but never attain. Funnily enough, it is only one moment of true and simple communication which has the power to tempt the fates and stealthily change our paths, unknowingly forever, for communication means understanding even if we don't know the power of our words and, more importantly, our actions.

"I feel like laughing today!" Hermione cried as she spun around waving her arms in the air, her voice cascading around them, ringing with almost tangible mirth.

Harry looked at her, his eyes alight with amusement, "Hermione, you feel like laughing everyday."

Hermione stopped spinning and grabbed Harry's hands, spinning with him, "Of course I do. May the clouds shadow the earth if it means this sunshine never ebbs within!"

Mouth agape, Harry swallowed his words and gazed at Hermione. Like a blow to the heart, her splendor took every thought away. All he could think was how magnificent she looked, her cheeks flushed above red curved, swollen lips, her eyes bright. He marveled at her chiseled features, so much like an immaculate image brought to life by beauty herself, and followed her wild ringlets as they flew in September winds' embrace. They took flight and seemed to follow her graceful hands, weaving a dance of freedom only she could ever dance.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, pausing from her exultant dance, head cocked to the side.

Almost painfully, Harry opened his mouth and spoke, "N-nothing. It's just a bit chilly out here; I was just thinking it might be better if we went inside."

"Oh bullocks," Hermione cried, laughing at Harry's expression. "Oh, don't look so astounded! Draco is a bad influence on me, isn't he?" Hermione asked resting a guilty hand on her lips.

Gently plucking her fingers away from her mouth, Harry answered, "Draco is a bad influence on _everybody_, Mione, myself included."

Pulling his robes Hermione pulled him towards the lake. Glancing at him sideways, a tender look on her face, she said, "Yeah, he's a delightful devil, isn't he? Seriously, though, I'm really happy you two are finally becoming friends."

Harry let himself fall to the ground, extending his athletic body and looked up at her, "I think _friends_ might be pushing it, don't you?"

Hermione plopped to the ground and slightly glared at Harry, "No, I don't! You two are just stubborn as hell and won't admit that you actually respect each other. I mean honestly, Harry, I've seen you talk this last month. Whether you like it or not, you know very well that you like each other."

Looking away from her Harry smiled slightly and pointed a finger towards the school, "There's the albino ferret, look, he's coming this way."

Hermione glared at Harry then turned with narrowed eyes to look at the rapidly approaching figure. She laughed delightedly as jumped and landed on all fours above her. His blond hair shone in the weak sunlight, strands fluttering around his face. Chuckling, Hermione removed a caught strand from his pouting bottom lip. She smiled with wonder at his beauty and shook her head. His face was flushed and his lips, like hers, were swollen, "You look like clown."

Draco laughed with a wink whispered into her ears, "If I look like anything out of the ordinary it's only because of you, swollen lips included…biter!"

Blushing, Hermione extracted herself from beneath him and made room for him to sit on her left side. She turned to her right and rolled her eyes, glancing at Harry who shook his head and muttered, "Show off!"

Draco laughed and declared, "You're only jealous, Potter!"

"Jealous? I don't think so," Harry smiled and turned to stare at the water.

"I dare say so," Draco said, brushing a hand through his hair, "Jealous of my boyish charm and handsome good looks."

"Oh stop describing me with such admiration, Malfoy. You're making me blush," Harry stated sending a cheeky grin in Draco's direction.

Hermione giggled and stopped abruptly, "What the hell? I don't giggle."

Draco looked at her and broke into a smile, "My love, you know I adore you, but if there's one thing you've been doing, is giggling."

"Seriously?" Hermione asked.

"Yes," Draco and Harry stated simultaneously.

"Bah," Hermione declared. "I do not giggle, I am the Hulk. Hear me roar!"

"What's a Hulk?" Draco asked sending Harry a confused look.

Harry laughed and said, "A big green monster in Muggle magazines."

"They write about you?" Draco turned to Hermione and laughed as she hit his arm.

"Oh," Hermione stated as her head snapped up.

"What is it," Draco asked at once, worriedly getting to his knees.

With wide eyes Hermione grabbed Harry's and Draco's hands and laid them gently on her protruding stomach.

Harry gasped and Draco's eyes became huge as they felt a moving sensation underneath their fingers. They looked at each other with amazed expressions, then turned to look at Hermione's flushed face. Both stared at her, mesmerized, and she blushed even further before bursting out laughing.

"Oh, mon cherie, you move," Hermione cried as she touched her shifting abdomen.

Draco swallowed and turned to Harry. He paused for a moment to watch Harry's adoring gaze towards Hermione. He placed a hand on Harry shoulder and finally getting his attention, he asked, "You'll be godfather, won't you?"

"Me? What about Zabini?" Harry asked with incredulity.

"We've already talked. We both agree that he's great for an uncle, but if my son ever needs a father, there's no one either of us trust more," Draco stated, grabbing for his hand.

Harry shook Draco's hand as his eyes filled with tears, "I'd be honored."

Hermione began to sniff loudly and both turned their attention to her as she turned away sniffling. "I don't know why I'm crying. I'm not a crier!"

"Love, you're pregnant," Draco said laying a tender hand on her cheek.

"God damn it, I was hoping I wouldn't be emotional! Four and a half months pregnant and a crying mess. Oh, won't I be fun?" Hermione said sarcastically, wiping a tear from her eyes.

Shaking his head Draco stood up and quickly glanced down as he heard a gasp, "Hermione, are you okay?"

Hermione only blushed and looked away, all tears gone, "Yes, I'm fine."

He looked at her with narrowed eyes and ran a hand through his hair only to hear another gasp. He paused and followed Hermione's eyes to two inches of exposed skin where his shirt had raised. He smiled wickedly and pulled his shirt off.

"What are you doing? It's cold out here, you dolt," Hermione cried as her face flushed further.

"I actually think it's rather hot, don't you think?" Draco asked, winking at Harry.

Laughing Harry pulled his wrinkled shirt off too and looked at Draco with a defiant look in his emerald eyes, "So hot that I think we should go for a swim, don't you?"

Hermione's eyes shifted from both of their toned stomachs to each of their faces. She swallowed loudly and said, "You are both idiots!"

She continued to shake her head and absorbed the sight before her eyes. Complete antithesis to one another, Harry dark and beautiful and Draco pale and striking. They were so similar, the same almost shattered hope in their eyes, so beautiful. She laughed as they took off only to howl as the freezing water tore trough their jeans and enveloped them in an icy embrace. They were both, plainly _so beautiful. _She placed a hand on her stomach and wondered at the warm feeling that enveloped her heart. Perfection ruled the moment, before sounding alarms broke and shattered through her Utopia. As she fled to her chambers with the two soaking men, she wondered at the power with which she wanted both safe. As she began to hear Dumbledore's booming voice and enveloped Ron and Blaise, she wondered at the power of her love.

Perched on their high seat, the Fates gazed at one another and nodded. Their power fell to the earth and opened a new path that a moment of communication between two amazing men had formed. They too wondered at the power of that love and so they tore Destiny's veil and let their new path to be carved outside of Destiny and outside of Fate. "Let it be so," they declared and gave the most prized gift to five people with only hope and love as their guides.

**DUN DUN DUN! What will happen only Aly knows! If you want to find out, however, I suggest you REVIEW! Please don't let me down. Tell me what you think; a new chapter in their lives will be written. You hold the power to make it happen. Please REVIEW.**

**Aly.**


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo: Silence!

Broken!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Silence!

_Recap: _Perched on their high seat, the Fates gazed at one another and nodded. Their power fell to the earth and opened a new path that a moment of communication between two amazing men had formed. They too wondered at the power of that love and so they tore Destiny's veil and let their new path to be carved outside of Destiny and outside of Fate. "Let it be so," they declared and gave the most prized gift to five people with only hope and love as their guides.

Animals, advanced and intelligent though we may be, animals we remain none the less. Troubled, imaginative, and dangerous, we bring lunacy to a world completely sane. We rage and scream, cry and fight, plead and hope, and all the time reap our intelligence's reward. Animal instinct, survival, drive us forward, recklessly, at times hopelessly, loud and rebellious against the journey we must take. Fear, loss…pain, instinct takes over; we run. We run and scream our rage within, without, always. Our hearts break and as they shatter our voices rise in a wrenching song full of our sorrow and our sobbing loneliness, like the song the wolf cries to the moon hoping she will understand.

As our palms shake and all we hear is the thunderous beat of our hearts, guilt burrowed beneath aching loss, we yell. We yell a cathartic yell and cry a heart wrenching cry. We scream to the sky and rage against a God that has let us make our mistakes. Sometimes, as our bodies feel they are about to burst or drown in the caressing black depths of loss, the sky echoes our raging sobs and the angels cry. Sometimes as we feel our brains will stop working and all is wrong in the world, instinct takes over and we furrow in the embrace of another and cry another cry until a sophisticated touch placates our fears and the angels stop crying, and we feel as if we may go on, and a moment of silence is all we need. One moment and a loss is still a loss and the pain is still our pain, but exceeding instinct, a moment of graceful silence fills the air and we gather our strength and we may go on.

Confusion, screams and noise, left and right, a suffocating dread hung in the air whispering with terrible seduction in everyone's ear. Feet padded on the floor with desperate vivacity, running, curled locks flew as her head swiveled back and forth, wand drawn. With a wrenching groan the stone above them came crashing down and was only avoided by a red headed boy's shove. They fell to the floor, avoiding hexes and spells, as the impact rocked their bodies. Wide eyed, Hermione Granger looked at Ron Weasley just as a red light sailed past his head, brushing past his cheek.

"Ahh," Ron cried, his hand flying to his bleeding cheek as his face scrunched in agony.

"Ron!" Hermione cried, grabbing his hand, "Are you okay? We have to keep moving. I know it hurts, I'm sorry, but we have to keep moving." Glancing anxiously to her right she spotted Blaise Zabini shooting hex after hex at cloaked figures, guarding Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter's backs.

She tugged Ron up and together sailed through the debris. She saw a cloaked figure to her left sending a _Crucio_ curse flying through the air towards them and yelled _'PROTEGO' _with such force the man was sent flying through the air until he hit the back wall. Beside her she heard Ron yell '_BOMBARDA' _and turned in time to see a witch with startlingly blond hair fly through the air, pieces of exploding rock catching her beautiful face as she crumbled to the ground.

She and Ron handled the flanks as the boys occupied the front. In front of her she heard Draco exclaim, "You'll be the death of me, Potter!" getting up from the ground where he had tackled Harry, avoiding and _Avada Kedavra _curse. Her cloak was discarded among the rubble as she turned fast enough to catch a tall man aiming his wand at Blaise yelling, "_Avada Keda_-," before she shouted, "_Stupefy!" _

Blaise turned to her with wide eyes and gave her a shaky smile. She returned it and turned to Harry, "Harry, we have got to keep moving. If the Deatheaters are here then Hogwarts isn't safe, especially for you. I say we move outside the grounds until we reach a portion where we can Apparate. I think we have enough experience to be able to do it and I talked to McGonagall before I ever did anything and she said it's safe to Apparate until I'm eight months pregnant. Let's go. We have to move!"

"Hermione, I can't explain everything now, but I have to find Dumbledore. I'll tell you about the Horcruxes later, but I have to find him. Our survival depends on it! I'll explain everything later, but you have to go," Harry ordered looking at her with a pallid face.

The color drained from Hermione's face as her mind jumped to the inevitable conclusion, "Harry, do you mean to tell me that Voldemort has made a Horcrux?"

Harry nodded shakily and pointed towards a hole through the demolished wall, "I'll tell you about it later. Go and wait for me in the Shrieking Shack; I'll get there as soon as I can." Before Hermione could object he turned on his heel and ran, avoiding falling stone and dodging spells.

"HARRY!" Hermione screamed already moving for him until Draco pulled her to his chest and held her.

"Let me go, Draco! I have to go after him; it's not safe! LET GO," Hermione raged, trying hopelessly to remove her lover's hands with shaking fingers.

"Hermione, you heard him. He'll be fine; he's freaking Potter for goodness sakes! We, however, and especially you, need to get out of here before we get hurt," Draco said into her ear, tightening his grip against her thrashing form.

Incensed Hermione turned around and yelled into his face, "Oh please, don't pretend you care about him. He's my friend, Draco, and I love him! I will not leave him here to die. I am not a coward!"

Draco took a step backwards said with deathly calm, "I know you're mad right now; I can respect that. If you want to save yourself and our child, Hermione, I suggest you do the _brave_ thing and leave. Harry will be fine. If he's not with us in twenty minutes, I promise you that I will personally come back for him."

Hermione looked down at her stomach and screamed. She turned to their expecting faces and glared at Ron, "If I go, you have to go too."

"But Hermione-" Ron began to complain, moving his body impatiently to where Harry had just been.

"NO! Ronald Weasley, you will leave with me or I will not leave at all," Hermione stated already moving past the bombarded door.

Behind her she heard three heavy footsteps as they ran and abandoned the battle. Just as they reached the outskirts of the Black Forest, Hermione stopped abruptly to catch her breath. Panting heavily beside her, Ron, Draco, and Blaise tried to slow their breathing. A shout sounded in front of them and all four looked to see Professor Snape running, aiming spells behind him. Crossing an invisible line, Snape turned immediately and Apparated without a word. Running frantically behind him, Harry Potter stopped abruptly in front of them, his face contorted with rage.

Hermione jumped forward and urgently asked, "Harry, what has happened? Why were you chasing after Snape?"

With a incensed hiss, Harry exclaimed, "Snape, he…he killed Dumble-Dumbledore. Dumbledore's dead."

Her knees buckled and all five put their arms on her just as a shadowed man yelled, "_Avada Kedavra!" _and without a word she pulled them through the space and contingency of time until they landed on a grassy plain surrounded by trees.

Picking everyone up with her she breathlessly explained, "I've just Apparated us to a forest in South England. We have to put up charms and protective spells that will make sure we cannot be found."

Blaise stepped forward and gently asked, "Hermione, do you want to call the Power that joined Draco, you, and I?"

Without a word Hermione nodded. Beside her, Ron asked, "What magic are you talking about?"

"I can't explain it right now, but it's magic like you've never seen. It's not dark magic, but it is not exactly light magic either. It's powerful, though, and that's what we need right now. I think we had better add all our bonds together, though. Please make yourselves bleed a little so we can join or blood," Blaise asked as he put up his already bleeding hand forward. The skin on his knuckles had broken as he punched a Deatheater while they were trying to escape.

Hermione nodded at Harry and Ron's questioning looks and put her own bleeding finger and placed it to join Blaise's blood. All in turn joined their blood and with a rustling of the wind, Blaise began to chant and then moved away to draw a protective circle around them. In the inside of the circle Harry put his own protective spell forward to reinforce they would be protected, light beneath the surface of dark. Ron and Draco followed suit and at last Hermione sent the Celtic knots of Protection and Love sailing around them as she cried, "_Protego Totalus!"_

Pulling Harry away she asked him to explain everything that had happened. He began from the beginning telling her how since she'd been distant he had been meeting with Dumbledore and how he had told him about the Horcruxes. He explained everything and said everything he knew up until the point where he had gone up to the Astronomy Tower and caught Snape as he was finishing Dumbledore off. At the end of his tale Harry looked up at Hermione with a shattered look in his eyes and in a broken voice said, "It was all my fault. I was supposed to stay with Dumbledore after we brought back this necklace, but I left to take a walk with you. It's all my fault; my stupid selfish fault."

Throwing the necklace on the ground, Harry turned and walked away. After picking up the necklace and pulling out a note with the initials R.A.B., Hermione followed him, even as he tried to run from her. Pulling his sleeve she looked him in the eye and said, "Stop running from me Harry. Let me help you."

"NO! Go back and stay with the others, Hermione. I am nothing but a danger to you and your unborn child. GO!" Harry screamed in desperation, pointing back to where the others were conjuring shelter.

Hermione looked back at them and then turned to Harry shaking her head, "I'm not going anywhere unless you're with me. This is _not_ you're fault, Harry Potter. I refuse to let you believe that it is."

With a strangled cry, Harry sank to his knees. He looked up at Hermione, rage and tears flooding his eyes, and screamed. He put his head in his hands and looked to the skies for answers to the loss that he felt searing through his soul. Dumbledore was gone and it was all his fault, all his _stupid_ fault. If he had stayed and not gone looking for Hermione, being a selfish, impudent brat, he might still be here. If he had stayedb he might have been able to stop Snape. If he had stayed, if only he had stayed…

Rage and loss flooded through his body and soul and all he heard was the beating fury that was his heart. He looked up and let out a pain filled scream and yelled for God in his mind. He yelled at a God that had let him make mistakes; he yelled at a God that had made him flawed when everyone needed him to be perfect. He screamed his fury and wanted to run, run and hide, beat the ground, kick the earth, scream until everything was gone and he didn't feel as if he was going to drown inside himself. A ragged sob escaped his lips, scathing his throat, as his body shook and he rocked back and forth as the rain began to fall.

He stayed for an eternity, consecrating the ground with tears of lost innocence and disillusioned hope and such loss that threatened to engulf him and never let him breath again. He couldn't take in enough air and began to gasp as panic set in and he yelled in frustration, not knowing if he was yelling for Dumbledore or his guilt, or maybe for both. He screamed for his weakness and beat the ground with his hands until blood seeped out and his body felt so extremely hot even as the rain beat down and echoed his cries.

His fury could not be contained and the guilt, the guilt weighed down on him like a hand of bullying giant. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed, choking sobs echoing as his heavy tears mingled with the falling rain drops. His body was shaking uncontrollably and with little heed he realized his nose was running. All he could do is cry, cry with the thunder and rage with the lightning. Tears and tears, enough it seemed to him to cover the whole world, fell from his face as his anger and loss proclaimed themselves and his guilt and his hopelessness crashed over him, rocking his body.

He didn't know how long he had been like that, mud soaking through his jeans, tears and screams escaping his hoarse throat. Above him, Hermione plummeted to her knees and took his face in her hands. He stared into her eyes, her tear filled eyes full of such love and such sympathy that he hated himself a little more for causing her pain and loving her so much that he wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her embrace. Seeing it all on his face, she shook her head sorrowfully and pulling him into her arms, began to rock him.

Like the warmest of blankets, smelling familiar, whispering of home, Hermione embraced him. She lulled him and quieted his hopeless cries, cries of desolation trying to voice his despair, and after an infinity, took his palm in hers. Moving back and staring into his eyes she kissed his hand. The rain stopped abruptly and the clearing rang with silence. Staring from afar with Ron and Blaise, Draco saw it happen. He saw the fight, the fight and the love, pull through in his face. He smiled a small sad smile and he knew, knew even if Harry didn't, that this moment of such graceful quietness was stronger than Harry's broken heart. He knew, because she gave it to him every time she was with him, his love. She gave him that moment of innocent, graceful silence that gently whispered _love._

* * *

**I want you to pretend that this was all in the Sixth Year going into the Seventh Year now. I know that it's changed, but I think it's better this way. Thank you for reading and PLEASE REVIEW. I LOVE THAT YOU HAVE THIS AS YOUR FAVORITE STORY AND ME AS YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR, BUT I WANT REVIEWS…please. I love this chapter; I hope you do too.**

**-Aly.**


	23. Chapter TwentyThree: Love!

Broken!

Chapter Twenty-Three: Love!

Warning: Mature Content.

_Recap: _Like the warmest of blankets, smelling familiar, whispering of home, Hermione embraced him. She lulled him and quieted his hopeless cries, cries of desolation trying to voice his despair, and after an infinity, took his palm in hers. Moving back and staring into his eyes she kissed his hand. The rain stopped abruptly and the clearing rang with silence. Staring from afar with Ron and Blaise, Draco saw it happen. He saw the fight, the fight and the love, pull through in his face. He smiled a small sad smile and he knew, knew even if Harry didn't, that this moment of such graceful quietness was stronger than Harry's broken heart. He knew, because she gave it to him every time she was with him, his love. She gave him that moment of innocent, graceful silence that gently whispered _love._

In a world with so much darkness, it is so easy to lay prey to the worst fears in our hearts. It is with unfathomable facility with which we can forget how light can conquer the dark, if only we tear down the walls that are put up to protect one, but which captivate obscurity if we place our lives in it's enclosing fist. It is so easy to forget that darkness _must _be balanced by light and that even _it _must flee, if only for the purpose of returning again. Darkness does not wish to be caged; it wishes to envelop all which it touches. If only for the purpose of spreading it's black wings, darkness breaks free of it's bonds, even at the cost of light's suffocating touch.

That touch, a tender outside force, which darkness does not understand. A touch with such strength that with a simple moment repels all that bind us. How can the dark we create know the best in us? The shadowed mazes we weave are nothing to the power we hold inside. To the best there is the worst, in which we sometimes lose ourselves. Yet, also, to the dark there _is_ the light, and no light shines brighter and with such strength as love. Nothing is so untarnished as two mated souls and nothing so ferocious as the protection each holds for the other. A touch of light is all we need to repel the dark, especially when we are shown how to turn on the light, and better yet when the light is turned on for us.

"Come with me," soft lips whispered, gently brushing delicately over her small ear.

Blinking slowly with sleepy eyes, she nodded and clumsily stumbled to her feet. The moon light made his skin glow with ethereal splendor and his lips stood out apple red, making his eyes glow, surely fallen stars from the scattered sky. Her heart seemed to break with his beauty and suddenly nothing made sense, nothing mattered, but following him until the end of the earth. She followed entranced by the flexing muscles of his naked back and felt the need to touch him with such urgency that she had to hold her hands together to keep from satisfying her craving.

They waded through the emerald trees, bare feet barely grazing the ground. The wind whispered through the woods, rustling the leaves. Beyond them, the foliage gave way and opened into the dark mouth of a cave. Hermione glanced up at Draco Malfoy with slight surprised. Looking down at her with a soft smile, Draco intertwined their fingers, tearing a small gasp from her mouth as electricity crackled between them.

Draco lit his wand with a soft _Lumos_ and led Hermione further into the cave. Above and below them stalagmites and stalactites gleamed, reflecting the moon light that shone through a natural circular opening on the roof of the cave. Hermione glanced around in wonderment, her eyes shining as they caught the momentary glinting from beautiful crystal formations hidden in the shadows. Looking forward, her breath suddenly caught as she stared into a magnificent pool of gleaming water, changing from green to blue as the moon cast and shadowed it's beautiful depths.

Draco pulled her to edge of the pool, her feet padding on warm stone, and silently began to undress her. Mutely, Hermione watched as his long, slender fingers gracefully removed each item of clothing with amazing care. Her eyes closed in immeasurable pleasure as his fingers accidentally brushed against her naked skin. He looked down into her eyes and pulled her into the silky depths of his soul. Slowly, with amazing attentiveness, Draco slipped off his dark pants and stood before her, gleaming naked and beautiful.

Gently pulling her hand, he led her into the water. Warmth enveloped them as they moved waist deep. Draco drank the sight of her, roving her body, memorizing the brand new curves which motherhood promised. His Adam's apple bobbed as he took in the gentle swell of her breasts and the unbelievably, breath taking, heart wrenching beauty of her curving stomach. Her slender arms rested at her sides, helpless to his love, and her face, her face made him momentarily forget to breath. Her eyes were pools containing nothing but the best in his soul, her high Grecian cheekbones reminiscent of the time of Helen, and her gently swollen mouth, so much like a cupid's bow, tantalizing in it's alluring redness.

With a shuddering breath, he enveloped her in his arms and gave her a kiss, transcending any words he could ever speak. His lungs stung with the need of breath, but his mind and heart seemed to rebel against that need, his lips taking from her the food to his starving soul. Gasping, he finally pulled away and looking at her with suddenly fierce eyes. "Do you know what you do to me?" he asked

Shaking her head with a small smile, she echoed, "Do you know what you do to _me_?"

He pulled her to him, pressing their bodies together, fighting to leave no room, he asked with a desperate whisper, "If I affect you the way you affect me, then why have not paid any heed to my desperate love?"

Tears stung Hermione's eyes as she pulled away and ineffectually answered, "I don't have time to think of anything but our safety. I catch myself looking around five times to make sure we're not followed and worrying the rest of the time with what we will eat. I feel hopeless and useless, and I've been neglecting you, and I'm so sorry, Draco. I'm so sorry."

"You must stop, Hermione. You have to stop from going there again. Every day your eyes get a little bit duller, every day I see your eyes reverberating the sadness I fought so hard to keep at bay. I see the way you look around frightened for all of us and I feel as if I'm going to break with so much sorrow. I want you to stop Hermione, because you don't have to do it alone. I'm here; I'll always be here. Look at me Hermione, again, and let me give you everything which I am entitled to give," Draco whispered into her hair, pulling back to stare into her eyes.

With a shattered sob, Hermione looked away and walked to the edge of the pool. "How can you love me right now, Draco? How can you love me when I am selfish and don't give you attention? How can you see me beautiful when I'm growing everyday and can find no way to smile the way I smiled for you?" Hermione asked, her fears suddenly made real once spoken.

Draco moved to her and grinned, a flash of teeth a wolf shows before taking it's prey, "The question is, Hermione, how could I ever stop?"

He was suddenly there, swallowing her excuses, stopping her objections with hands on her wrists. Her back was flushed with the smooth rock , arching as she felt him coming inside of her, taking away all her thoughts. Her legs unconsciously curled around him as he stayed still, staring down at her until she was forced to open her closed eyes and stare into his.

Her belly floated between them, above water, as she gently let herself fall back onto the rock floor. Suddenly a marvelous, ringing, intoxicating laugh surrounded them as it echoed and clothed their naked bodies. Above her, Draco laughed delightedly and with such happiness that her heart thumped loudly in her chest.

Gently, ever so slowly, Draco pulled back while saying, "How could I not love you, Hermione? How could I not love you when I see your eyes and feel as if I'm going to drown?" He pushed inside of her with that last word.

Hermione gasped, her eyes wide, as he pulled away again, "How could I not love you, when I see your lips and have to fight to keep from kissing you?" Again, he pushed inside her, making a small moan escape from her lips.

"How could I not love you, you marvelous creature, when the sight of your body makes me _burn_," Draco hissed as he plunged into her once again, getting as a gift another moan from her swollen mouth.

"How could I not love you, when you are the kindest," he pushed in, "sweetest," he pulled out, "most amazing creature, on this planet?" he concluded going inside of her once again.

"How could I not love you when you carry the best I have to give inside of you?" Draco questioned, eliciting moans of pleasure from her flushed face. "And how could I not love you when I catch you looking at me, _raping_," he pushed in a little more roughly, causing a gasp to escape her, "me with your eyes?"

"How could I not love you when, when you touch me everything feels alright and when you kiss me, everything makes sense?" Draco stated moving rhythmically into her body.

Hermione felt as if she was going to burst, the pleasure insurmountable, incomprehensible, necessary. With every word he spoke, suddenly everything seemed a little bit better; everything seemed just a little bit brighter. Unconsciously, she found her mouth moving, "And how could you ever think I was forgetting you, when each day I have to fight from running into your arms? How could you ever think," _gasp, _"that anything was more important that you? I have to, _ooh_, keep looking out for our survival, when all I want to do is surrender myself into your arms."

Draco's eyes shone with a happiness only she knew, only she understood. He echoed her gasps as their bond transcended words and even physicality, as their souls swam inside each other. There, just there, under the surface lay a searched release which in his mind seemed to personify his love. How could she possibly understand the fervor with which he loved her? How could she possibly understand how nothing else mattered, poverty, loneliness, depression, when she smiled? How could she possibly understand?

Beneath him, Hermione burned with her body's building release. Their gentle movements never lost rhythm, never became sex, only love. Even as desperation for release tore moans from their throats, all that mattered was that they were there, together, never alone. His tenderness, his impossibly sweet touch, all that was her love, was all that mattered in those moments as their bodies moved like one, all words forgotten. All that there was, were their own two beating hearts that were suddenly not separate, but one. All that mattered were their souls which sank deeper into each other with each meeting. Above everything, the world, the universe, the dark and the light, all that mattered was him, them, together, as their tears fell with the cry of release. There, just there, nothing mattered, darkness didn't exist, for how could it, when everything was suddenly so amazingly _okay _in each others embrace.

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**PLEASE REVIEW! It was my first real love making scene and I would love to hear what you think. I know that it seems as if Hermione and Harry are building a romantic bond, but don't be fooled just yet; Hermione is impossibly, amazingly, and totally in love with Draco. Everything is just part of my thought out plot! Again, please REVIEW. I would also like to cordially invite you to READ MY NEW FANFIC, SHATTERED ANGEL. Please read and tell me what you think.**

**Love, **

**Aly.**


	24. Chapter TwentyFour: Findings!

Broken!

Chapter Twenty-Four: Findings!

_Recap: _Beneath him, Hermione burned with her body's building release. Their gentle movements never lost rhythm, never became sex, only love. Even as desperation for release tore moans from their throats, all that mattered was that they were there, together, never alone. His tenderness, his impossibly sweet touch, all that was her love, was all that mattered in those moments as their bodies moved like one, all words forgotten. All that there was, were their own two beating hearts that were suddenly not separate, but one. All that mattered were their souls which sank deeper into each other with each meeting. Above everything, the world, the universe, the dark and the light, all that mattered was him, them, together, as their tears fell with the cry of release. There, just there, nothing mattered, darkness didn't exist, for how could it, when everything was suddenly so amazingly _okay _in each others embrace.

We, creatures of love, loss, hate, hope, revenge, peace, warmth and cold, are torn interminably. We are torn forever between what we should do and what we _want_ to do; we are torn in the face of loss between succumbing to pain and hovering above it in order to find what we are eternally looking for: not the semblance, but the true feeling of being peacefully and tranquilly okay. We preach being creatures of immense intelligence, creatures of strength, enduring past endurance, and thriving in situations where all would fall. We, creatures of light and dark, fight and unending fight, within, forever and always. We are torn, us, God's lambs, the Devil's prize; Cain or Abel, good or bad, we _are_ the ceaseless fight of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Strength is our cry; weakness is banned. Therein lies the hardest fight of all whoever lived to know that a cry is not a weakness and that strength sometimes lies in what we interdict. Our biggest obstacle, it is our hardest trial. Finding the strength to admit that we need a supporting force, an unfailing defense, to help us because we need to be helped is the essence of our fight. Admitting that tears are not weakness and that a loved one's assist is sometimes needed _is_, in fact, our tribulation, because once that is admitted, by the graceful touch of love, we understand that love itself gives the power to our strength and reticence is the true weakness in face of the possibility of improving. Cain or Abel, good or bad, will we let ourselves fall in the face of our tears or reach past apathy and cry the cry that will let, _help,_ us move on?

Sweat covered the entirety of hi body. Clouds of smoke formed above him as his rapidly exhaling breath fought to catch his racing heart, exacerbating the burning need for oxygen. Every particle of his body felt as if it were tearing in two, forcing him to curl tightly into a ball, fighting the need to cry out in pain. Everything burned, everything hurt so badly, that he felt surely he would die. Blood dripped from his bottom lip as his teeth dug into them, stopping him from alerting the others of what was his assured demise.

His mind was clouded; he couldn't comprehend the images coming to his eyes. His tongue felt hot and heavy in his mouth and every inch of him felt weighed down by the irrepressible need his body had to genetically segregate. His eardrums threatened to burst as the slightest noise pounded through his cranium, making him wish in that second that death would come, so that the pain could cease and all would stop. His limbs felt pressured; nothing made sense. Suddenly, knowing nothing else to do, his body fought the need to go into shock as hyperventilation overtook him, making him choke to get enough air.

In a confused, dazed fight of limbs and clothing, he got to his feet, light and color disorienting him making the need to vomit almost implacable, and battled to lower his body temperature, ripping his jumper and shirt in two with the unappeasable need with which his mind cried for him to get naked, colder, better. Surely, his mind excruciatingly cried out to him, surely if he let the lightly falling snow which fell past the dome of their encampment touch his naked skin all would be better and his body would cease what felt as an unending struggle to rip itself apart.

Choking and vomiting, he stumbled to the edge of their encamped circle as frustration tore from his throat in a pained scream as Hermione's, Draco's, Harry's, and Ron's wards stopped him from breaking through. The pain, so much pain, and his body's _need_ to escape it forced his mind to send immense, burning energy coursing through his body through the magical barrier, making his body feel as if a layer of skin had been burned off. Nothing mattered, though. Nothing mattered past the need to get away that even his ringing mind could not assuage.

He fell with a sob, tearing the skin at his knees, on the bank of the stream that coursed south of their tent, a beautiful scar in the forest's body. Uncontained vomit escaped him as an agonizing cramp built in his stomach, his magic bubbling to get out, unrestricted and finally free. Uncomprehending, his mind vaguely registered footsteps falling on the snow covered ground and Hermione's cry. Latching on to this last, vaguely glimmering hope, Blaise Zabini cried out what he had fought to cry out for what had felt like eternity, "Hermione, _Help Me_!"

Falling to the ground, wide eyed and heavily breathing, a five-months pregnant girl fell to the ground as cold, mind numbing fear tore through every part of her being. She cradled his naked torso in her lap as her fingers, clumsy and useless in her mind, fought to move his hair out of his eyes, looking for something, _anything_ to ease his pain. "Blaise," she said, tears running down her face, "_Blaise_, what's wrong?"

Beyond them, scared and uncomprehending, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, and Draco Malfoy fought to get past the barrier that unbeknownst to them, Blaise and Hermione had sent up the moment her tentative, shaking hands had touched his burning skin. "Hermione!" Draco cried in agonized fear, as she swiveled her head and cried in a pain filled, choked sob.

"I don't know what to do," she cried out to him, needing past any need to simply take all the pain etched on the beautifully dark face of someone who was truly and entirely her brother.

"Hermione, _help me,_" Blaise pleaded in a broken whisper as his foggy eyes connected with hers in a moment of complete lucidity.

"I need you," Hermione spoke in a agonized, heartbroken voice, "to tell me what to do, Blaise. I'll do anything, _anything_, just tell me what to do!"

"Help me," Blaise supplicated in a small, lost voice, "Help me, Mione."

Not knowing what else to do, desperate, and frantic, she connected her lips to one of the four people that meant the world, that were the essence, of her being. In that moment, instantaneous and frightening, his power, the true essence of his body's struggle, broke and tore through Hermione, making her energy tap into the strength of her magic that logic and analytics had barred. With a unified cry of pain, love, hope, power, and fear, Hermione and Blaise held each other as white fire encased them and broke their protecting circle, engulfing Draco, Harry, and Ron, making them shine in their white light as trees and the forest floor became swallowed in their strength.

There, finally being able to breath, as the stress of his strength was shared with someone equally as strong, in his most lucid moment in weeks, Blaise felt happy and interminably heartbroken. He had tried, he had tried so hard to pretend that this wouldn't happen. He had tried so hard to believe that this immense strength, this immense power that he had attained while knocking on death's door, would not once again break past his control with the need to be used. He had tried _so hard_ to believe that he wouldn't succumb beneath it's unrelenting and unsatisfied quest to give him all that it could give. _He had tried so hard_, because deep down, beneath anything and everything, he was afraid of what he could become, of all he could be.

He would _never_ become Voldemort; he would never be evil. He had fought so long and so hard and here, once again, he found himself, afraid and hoping that he was good, because he couldn't bear it if he were not. It was his child like hope, his deepest want. Yet, he hand known, he had _known,_ Hermione was strong enough. He had _known_ she would help him, because she would never do otherwise. It was not until that second, however, that he knew that she, by natural and pure magic, could help release him from death's unnatural bonds, if only by showing him that they too can be controlled.

In front of him, intense and shining, Hermione, her child kicking it's protest as it's magic mixed with her own from the recess of her womb, tapped into his flow of conscious thought and like the reverberating chimes of the wind echoed through his mind, "_You, Blaise Zabini, are more good than you could ever realize. You, who could be Cain, choose to be Abel in a world that demands you be otherwise. Therein lies your strength. It is not what you can be, but what you choose to be. You've no right to ask me to make you feel better about yourself, when you should know that you are all that you want to be. I love you."_

Tears ran in grief-stricken smears down their faces. Cries of pain echoed through them all as the intensity of their united magical reserves threatened to be too much for all of their bodies. Gathering strength unbeknownst to either, Hermione and Blaise broke their love filled kiss, echoing a gasps of relief as beyond them Draco, Ron, and Harry separated their hands and collapsed to the ground. All around them, the white fire's engulfment diluted, leaving behind only the crackling remembrance of their magic shining in every part of the forest that would forever house the moment in time when Blaise Zabini gave Hermione Granger the ability to find that while equal in strength, she had the power to do _anything, _not held back by her mind's inability to see that power did not mean evil and could be whatever she shaped it to be.

Completely spent, she collapsed on top of Blaise's body, warm and loving. Beneath her, he whispered a broken 'thank you' and he kissed her forehead. They laid down, their hearts beating rapidly and completely alert even as their bodies fought not to collapse on themselves. Draco, followed by Harry and Ron, crawled until he held in his arms the love of his life and cradled the best of his being. Together, in a pile of sweaty but warm limbs and flesh, they breathed in unison and stared at the sky.

All was okay for them, together, the way they were. Nothing could touch them as their friendship and their crackling magic intermixed and intertwined in a dance of pleasurable warmth. Around them, breaking the calm of the night, the veils of time and space rippled as a new power broke it's threshold. Instinctively their dome went up all around them as, wandless, all four of their minds sent out protective wards. Sitting up, all four held each other as they looked on to the shining figure of the creamy, pale skinned woman with fire like red hair moving towards them in a floating graceful walk, a soft smile paying on her softly shining red lips.

Her incredibly green eyes, bright as Harry's, shone with pleasure as one of The Fates stood before them in a flowing white, Grecian dress. She moved past their wards, floating through them, but stopped suddenly with a small surprised look as Hermione glared at her and barred her way. Smiling, staring at her, she whispered, "Hermione, beautiful maiden of the unknown, I mean you no harm. I, today, come simply come to take my place in my own Fate, not written by any of my siblings. It is my turn to find my path, unknown to all, but which I know is intermixed with yours. That I will never harm you in any possible way, you have my word."

The air shone as her words instantly bound her in a magical bond to all five. Silently acquiescing with a nod, Hermione lowered the wards and allowed the beautiful woman to step forward. Her gaze softened into one of surprise as slowly and with sincere love shining though her eyes, the other lowered her shining form and placed a kiss on her lips, then lowered herself even further and kissed her stomach. Inside, her child kicked in pleasure as magic none knew weaved through the air as above them, The Fates wrote the path for two figures outside of the six they could never touch.

Gracefully, picking herself up, she moved to each of her new companions and kissed them softly, giving her precious gift of protection, none knew she could give. Lastly, softly and a little afraid, she moved to Blaise with wide eyed wonder. She lowered herself to the ground and sat staring into his eyes for what seemed to be an eternity, he pale, pale skin shining even more with it's magical glow against the African skin of the man before her. His high cheekbones captivated her and the swell of his lips sent a small, confusing blush through her face. The intensity of his eyes deepened as he too felt the utter feeling of what they would be sending a shiver through her body. Slowly, ever so slowly, she placed a small, delicate hand that had never touched true human skin before on his cheek and whispered in a small, indignant voice, "You've kept me waiting far too long."

Wide eyed and uncomprehending, Blaise answered in a breathless whisper, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, madam."

What felt to him to be a heartbreaking smile illuminated her face as she lowered her lips to his and found her rightful place in his arms. Opening his eyes and moving his head slightly back, Blaise exclaimed, "Jesus."

"Yes, he's a funny guy," she answered, looking into his eyes, before moving to his lips once again and placing herself irrevocably and eternally in his arms.

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Mwhahah! Sorry to have kept you waiting, but I hope it was worth it! IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU REVIEW! I've decided that **AS AN INCENTIVE, IF I RECEIVE 325-340 REVIEWS, I WILL UPDATE THEN! IS IT WORTH IT? Thanks so much and please tell me what you think!**

**Love, **

**Aly.**


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